Happy Endings

Running time: 78 mins

A desperate slide from businesswoman to bank robber. Ankica is the proud owner of a legitimate massage salon, which she runs with her best friend Ljilja. She dreams of keeping her out-of-work husband and adult daughter in comfort while helping Ljilja pay for her son's recurring rehab programs. But in reality, Ankica's debts are mounting, and she refuses to add "happy endings" (sexual favors) at the salon to increase revenues. When a loan shark threatens to take her apartment if she does not repay her debt, in desperation, she turns to crime. But even with stacks of cash in hand, Ankica realizes that her problems are far from over. Cinematographer Darko Suvak (The Conscientious Objector, Cinequest 2004) makes his directorial debut with this complex tale about people who are too young to give up on life, but too old to start all over. - Pia Chamberlain