Trailer for the documentary The Strange Sound of Happiness.
How does a loveable Sicilian loser end up learning to play an ancient pocket-sized harp from a mythical master in the frozen Siberian wilds? Fantastically imaginative and delightfully self-effacing, filmmaker Diego Pascal Panarello crafts an endearing look at his own quasi-magical mid-life crisis. After getting dumped by his girlfriend, the out-of-work musician heads back home to mom and dad in Sicily, looking for a sign of what to do with his life. A fateful dream leads him to a marranzano, the tiny centuries-old instrument whose enchanting sound resonates around him, ringing out from the buzz of cicadas and his electric razor. Transported, he literally follows its siren call to Siberia and studies under its legendary master, learning not only how to play but how to be happy again. Irreverent, comical and pulsing with musical energy, this quirky tale of self-discovery shows how a universal sound can bring a young man's imagination back to life.