A 7-year-old girl finds freedom on Disneyland’s Autopia in writer-director Devin Scott’s short film, My Happy Place. It’s 1965, and young Anna Boreman is muddling her way through her preacher father’s infidelity and the divorce of her parents.
Tired of the restrictions of her religious parents, Anna’s only dream is to feel a brief moment of freedom while driving her own car at Disneyland. But, as luck would have it, Anna’s father decides to take her on a cross-country road trip from Florida to Anaheim during his summer visitation. Along the way, she learns lessons about truth, forgiveness, and dashed dreams at Disneyland.
“…her only dream is to feel a brief moment of freedom while driving her own car at Disneyland.”
The story of My Happy Place is told through spoken word by narrator Laura Bohlin. It’s essentially an essay by an adult Anna Boreman looking back at this memorable adventure she took with her father. As Bohlin recites the words, her story is accompanied by a series of astutely selected stock video footage of a family in Florida, at church, the long desert highways to California, and Disneyland from the 60s. It is clear that the film took the expert talents of Devin Scott and the crew to pull off this well.
I honestly don’t know if any of the footage is of the real Anna Boreman’s family or if the story is true at all. But with only a few exceptions, it looks plausible enough to immerse yourself in the narrative. My Happy Place is nothing without Anna’s engaging story and message of the love between parent and child and the need for forgiveness.
"…took the expert talents of Devin Scott and the crew to pull off this well."
