A young couple tries to make sense of the existential void they face after the suicide of a close friend. From the cocoon of their relationship they travel to foreign places in the search for answers. Sebastiaan films every moment of their adventure while his girlfriend Pieta starts to distrust the camera. Their search exposes the deep, unspoken differences between them, forcing them to confront not only their relationship but the fragile sense of purpose they’ve been chasing.

Happy Together is a coming-of-age story about me, my camera and how it relates to my relationship with my former girlfriend Pieta. In the film I explore the desire to make a self-portrait, and introduce a shift in our dynamic by recording our lives. The process of documentation is incorporated in the editing process, creating a product of multiple iterations over time, morphing and shifting in its objectives.

The film arose out of my longstanding project of self-archival. My mode of working is inspired by gonzo-techniques, creating a highly personal subjective world which I explore with my viewer. The creation process is part of the result, creating a film that searches for itself within itself. In doing so, I want make an intimate representation of filmmaking as a craft and practice, flirting with questions of ethics, desire, and purpose.

Taking part at IFFR 2025 RTM 

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Directed and Edited by Sebastiaan Verbeeten
Music by Mazi Jarvis
Duration: 54 minutes

2024

Film students take part in a 48-hour film challenge with a film titled Defragmentation. Their different ideas about the film leads to a crisis 

Directed and Edited by Sebastiaan Verbeeten
Duration: 10 minutes
2021