The Road to Happiness

A film by by Northern Heart Films is screened as part of Wigan Arts Festival.

words by Pete Mercer

Art, too often, is presented as something to be imported; a phantom whisked from one major city to the next - the domain of select international artists with conveniently art-world parents. This is what makes a film like The Road to Happiness so refreshing - it is very much of it’s place.

Centred around the bus routes which, already, root so many of us to our surroundings, the film platforms the voices of a new mum, cancer survivor, recently transitioned trans woman and asks them the question: what is your road to happiness?

Naturally, these answers vary, and so we’re not patronised by familiar tropes of upbeat jangly music or ultra-slo-mo back-slapping, but notions of acceptance and bravery; the stories of people dealing with difficult circumstances. This is a recurring theme in the work of Northern Heart Films, an independent production company based in Wigan’s The Old Courts. Warm, person-centred and feel-good in the best sense, The Road to Happiness had even a sad boy as me picking out things that make me smile.

Beyond the film itself, the screening’s location - a hollowed-out retail space in Wigan shopping centre, The Galleries - could hint at a potential route to happiness. As dead high-streets are vacated and re-assessed, could these spaces be re-allocated for community use for artistic and social outlet?

If you, like me, had yet to hear of Northern Heart Films I’d encourage you to take a look through their work and if you do nothing else today, have a think about what makes you happy (don’t worry if you struggle, you’ll get there eventually, it took me a while).

reviewed as part of Wigan Arts Festival in Summer 2021