A suicidal writer, a Scottish mountainside and an overly friendly local make up Happy As Larry, the festival-winning dark comedy heading to UK and US digital platforms this festive season.
Dark comedies about death rarely come with the word “cheerful” attached, but Happy As Larry seems to be making a decent case for it. The film, which won over festival audiences earlier this year, is headed to digital download across the UK and US this festive season.
The story
Larry is a struggling London writer who heads to the Isle of Skye intending to end his life. There is one catch: he refuses to go through with it until he has written the perfect final letter. He hopes the landscape will help him find the words. What he finds instead is Dale, an eccentric but warm local who simply will not leave his side.
As the pair trek through the mountains, Larry wrestles with his last words while Dale’s humour and insight keep tugging him back into the present. It is a buddy film built on an unlikely bond, with loneliness and connection at its centre. The whole thing was shot entirely outdoors on Skye, so those dramatic landscapes do a lot of the heavy lifting. You can watch the trailer to get a feel for the tone.
Who’s behind it
Hugo Andre writes and directs, following his earlier feature Makeup. Calvin Crawley and Kevin Walls play the lead duo, with Andre himself and Izzy Harradine also in the cast. Walls previously appeared in Sophie Fillières’ final film, This Life of Mine, which opened the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2024. Lucas A. Ferrara produces, and Indie Rights is handling distribution.
The film premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Dallas International Film Festival, where it took the Audience Award for Best International Feature, then played further festivals in the US and UK. Andre says he hopes viewers find themselves “laughing (maybe crying) and perhaps seeing a little of themselves in Larry and Dale along the way”. Ferrara calls it “the rare buddy film that earns its warmth and laughs”.
What we know about the release
The run time is 87 minutes. A December release is expected for both territories, but the exact date, the digital platforms and the certificate are all still to be confirmed. We’ll watch for updates.
If the film’s themes have affected you, Samaritans is available 24 hours a day on 116 123 or at samaritans.org.
For now, keep an eye out for Happy As Larry on UK and US digital platforms this December, and take a look at the trailer to decide whether Larry and Dale are your kind of company for the festive stretch.
