The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief
credits:
Director: Jake ClennelProducer: Jake Clennel
USA 2006 | 75 mins | DigiBeta | Japanese w/E.S.
Wildly entertaining and endlessly fascinating, THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE: TALE OF AN OSAKA LOVE THIEF takes us into the jaw-dropping subculture of Japanese “host clubs,” where twenty-something men entertain female clients with free-flowing drinks, conversation and make-believe love, all at staggering cost. Director Jake Clennell obtains near-unfettered access to Stylish Café Rakkyo, the top host club in Osaka, where its charismatic top draw host, Issei, and his associates—each with rock star hair and attire—reveal what takes place in these spaces of purchased happiness (Issei calls it a “Neverland”). Well-placed compliments, champagne costing over $250 per bottle, and a whole lot of mind games keep the clients spending mind-blowing figures for their company. In turn, the women explain with remarkable candidness (and some stunning confessions) why they continue to financially worship their favorite hosts.
A modern twist on the age-old profession of female companionship, this burgeoning business is a microcosm for a society undergoing extreme shifts in gender relationships. Clennell uncovers an alarmingly vicious cycle in the commerce of fulfillment and “healing” in the Japanese nightlife industry. Yet as he follows his rather bright subjects with a non-judgmental eye, we become privy to real emotions and the true needs and desires peeking out from beneath the neon, makeup and sweet talk. THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE offers a surprisingly poignant and illuminating portrait of this strange, 21st-century dance between the sexes, and the very real heart beating inside.
—Taro Goto
