Synopsis

Happiness Is Just a Blue Couch Away follows a woman and her son in the days after they “leave” – the moment that is often described as liberation, but in reality means slipping into a space with no real protection. In contemporary Montenegro, many women live with violence that remains hidden behind “good manners” and everyday routines, while institutions respond slowly or not at all. I wanted to stay with one of those seemingly ordinary stories long enough for it to become impossible to ignore.

I grew up as the son of a social worker who spent her life with people on the margins. Through her I heard stories of violence, poverty and manipulation. Only later did I realise how much they had shaped me and how I needed to approach these realities through film. In my shorts I circled around fractured families and tensions; with this debut feature I want to face those themes directly.

At its core, the film is about the relationship between Nataša and her son Uroš. Nataša is neither a heroine nor a passive victim, but a woman trapped in circumstances she cannot control, surviving day by day, telling her child that tomorrow will be better. Her love is real but worn down by exhaustion, poverty and the threat of returning violence. Uroš is a child, yet already marked by what he has seen. Their bond is the emotional engine of the film and a way to look at how violence quietly repeats across generations.

The car they live in becomes another such space – home, shelter and trap. Stylistically, I stay close to them, using silence, off-screen space and city sounds to keep the sense that something is approaching even when the frame seems calm. The story is rooted in Montenegro, but the experiences it deals with are common elsewhere. My intention is not to offer solutions, but to bear witness and invite the audience into the unstable space between mother and son.

Director Statement

Happiness Is Just a Blue Couch Away is produced by KA Productions, an independent Montenegrin company committed to socially engaged, character-driven cinema. The film grows out of real stories of women who survived domestic violence but remained invisible to institutions and the wider public; our aim is to turn those silenced experiences into a work that is both intimate and politically clear.

We are currently in the rough cut stage. Most of the shooting is complete, with core financing secured from national and local partners, which has allowed us to bring this debut feature to an advanced stage on a modest budget. What we need now are strategic partners who can help the film reach its full artistic and international potential.

At the co-production market we are looking for:
• Post-production financing or a studio partner to finalize sound design, colour grading and music licensing at a standard suitable for A- and B-class festivals and international distribution.
• Co-producers experienced with hybrid/arthouse narratives, who can contribute creatively as well as financially, particularly in shaping the festival, impact and distribution strategy.
• Sales agents and festival partners who recognize the emotional weight and contemporary relevance of the film – a story about intimacy, mental health, and small acts of salvation in everyday life.

Our goal is to build long-term collaborations with partners who understand the film’s delicate tone and can help position Happiness Is Just a Blue Couch Away within the European arthouse landscape, while also amplifying its social impact beyond the screen.

Short bio of Director

Director – Andrija Mugoša
Film and TV director, founder of KA Productions and Ablest. He has written and directed seven short fiction films, including Praskozorje (2019), Rikverc (2020) and Ječam žela (2021), screened and awarded at numerous international festivals. He has worked as assistant director on more than ten shorts (four supported by the Film Centre of Montenegro) and on the feature film Zaliv (2023).
Through KA Productions he has directed campaigns for NGOs Spektra, CARM, Queer Montenegro, OSCE Montenegro and the University of Montenegro, and music videos for Džanum (“Ptica”) and Sijenke (“Ne mogu da zamišljam”). He is the director and writer of a video art piece for La Biennale di Venezia 2023, creator of the Porto Montenegro “Boka Place 2024” campaign, and co-author of the animated short Povratna boca. He is the writer of two feature films in development (Agape, Jaglika), director and co-author of the play Neko bolje mjesto, currently in post-production with the short Ko se nije skrio magarac bio, and one of the writers on the series in development JAN, based on the short Jan (HBO Max).