MoMA Presents: Javier Rebollo’s 'The Dead Man and Being Happy'

Following a successful festival run that included San Sebastian and the New York Film Festival, ‘The Dead Man and Being Happy’ has its well deserved theatrical premiere at the Museum of Modern Art.

Santos (renowned Spanish actor José Sacristán), a sick, worn-down hired killer, impulsively heads out on one last assignment: a 2,000-mile excursion from his Buenos Aires hospital bed into the vast interior of Argentina. Cruising along in a vintage Ford Falcon, he encounters Alejandra (Roxana Blanco), who tricks him into taking her along. Their journey takes them through countryside that feels as remote, empty, and forlorn as they are.

Award-winning Spanish director Javier Rebollo’s third feature is neither a traditional narrative nor a foray into magic realism. In fact, it is more akin to a Borges novel, a mystery about the whims, dark places, and unknown interiors of its characters; a reflection on life, love, death, and the open highway.

The Dead Man and Being Happy (El muerto y ser feliz)

Spain / Argentina / France, 94 minutes. Directed by Javier Rebollo. With José Sacristán, Roxana Blanco, Jorge Jellinek, Valeria Alonso, Lisa Caligaris, Carlos Lecuona. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Screenings: Tuesday, October 1 at 7 pm (T2) | Wednesday, October 2 at 7 pm (T2) | Thursday, October 3 at 4 pm (T1) | Friday, October 4 at 4 pm (T2) | Saturday, October 5 at 5 pm (T2) | Sunday, October 6 at 5:30 pm (T2) | Monday, October 7 at 4 pm (T2).

Watch trailer.

New York premiere on October 1st. Introduction and Q&A with the filmmaker.