Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Though it's full of over-the-top personalities -- a hypochondriac television writer, an ex-addict flitting from job to job, a happy husband who nonetheless cheats with his wife's sister, boozy, elderly ex-showbiz parents who can't stop recounting their glory days -- it's also grounded in realism. None of these people seem like fictions, just unsatisfied and unsure.

Even though I was frustrated at the messiness of these lives and annoyed with their dissatisfaction, it's still a hopeful film. Yes, it's worth it to pursue happiness because, every once in a while, we catch it.

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