Marvin, a creative writer, and Ivan, a psychiatrist, relocated to Sweden from the Czech Republic, where they settled and began raising their family. In 2018, Marvin came out as a transgender man, and officially applied for a gender change the following year. Alongside their routine of daily life—household chores, office work and playing video games with their kids—we witness intimate conversations between the couple, who have been together for over 15 years. As Marvin becomes more confident and comfortable with himself, Ivan is supportive yet unsure how to navigate the changes in his partner: “I don’t know what is expected of me. How should I feel?” Turning an empathic lens on the physical and emotional changes Marvin is going through, candid video diaries document his transition surgery and the process of taking testosterone shots. Via Marvin’s nom de plume, Roe Horvat, we hear snippets of writing, gaining an intimate insight into his deepening masculinity. A Happy Man is a moving study in the vital importance of authentic gender expression. Selina Crammond
Streaming online May 5-9. Streaming is only available in Canada.