5 Lessons in Happiness

Life and love are never straightforward for Taiwan’s thriving LGBTQ+ community. Elation and joy await some, while sadness and heartbreak lay in store for others. In this omnibus of five short films that explore the theme of happiness, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other LGBTQ+ individuals explore what it means to be happy. In “Little Man,” a gay professional swimmer who has a complex about the size of his sexual organ has never managed to find a boyfriend. But could it be that it is his insecurity – not his size – that is holding him back? And could he find love with a former classmate after the most embarrassing experience of his life? In “Baby Maybe,” a young gay couple wonder if they should start a family – and find themselves at a crossroads when a female student finds herself pregnant with a baby she doesn’t want. Meanwhile, in “Homebound,” a woman who once fell in love with her sister-in-law finds herself revisiting old emotions when she returns home after three decades abroad. And in “She Is My Father,” a comedienne who was once a male gets a call from a child she once fathered. Finally, in “Throuple,” a successful, married, female novelist suddenly begins having an affair with her female publisher. Is she really a lesbian? And will her husband discover what is going on? “5 Lessons in Happiness” is a collection of 2020 short Taiwanese films that were directed by Huang Ting Chun, Zero Chou, Adiamond Lee, Hsieh Chih Wen, and Nancy Chen.