Heartland Film Festival: Finding Hygge

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“Hygge” -- pronounced “HOO-geh” -- is one of those indefinable terms couched in a specific culture, in this case Danish, that actually has universal meaning. Indianapolis filmmaker Rocky Walls and his crew went to Denmark, as well as other parts of the globe, to see if they could determine what hygge is and, more importantly, how to export the concept to others.

It roughly means something like “cozy,” but has deeper and broader implications. It’s the feeling of slowing down, appreciating life, connecting with others and setting aside the stress of work. Imagine a campfire on the beach with old friends, passing a bottle, listening to music and sharing familiar stories. Everyone feels safe and comfortable. That’s hygge.

Walls interviews dozens of people on camera for this documentary, starting with Danes from various walks of life, but also Americans, Canadians, Brits and others who have embraced hygge in their own lives. Such as Garrey Dawson and Paul Cunningham, two chefs from the UK who moved to Denmark to start their own hygge hotel and restaurant.

There’s Signe Wenneberg, a Danish journalist who ditched the big city and social media to move to the country, build her own log house and practice/preach a lifestyle built on sustainability.

Meik Wiking, who is the CEO of a real Danish thing called the Happiness Research Institute, literally wrote the book of hygge. “The Little Book of Hygge” become such a hit, it spawned countless imitators and attempts at commercialization. The film then talks to Alexandra and Keon, an American woman and Dutch man who started a company selling blankets and other products promoting hygge feelings.

They’re pretty upfront about pushing their passion for hygge first and selling stuff second, though other companies are less scrupulous. Google it and you can find plenty of products promising you the feeling of hygge of you only buy their overpriced swag. This is exactly the opposite of hygge.

“We continue spending money we don’t have to buy stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t like,” Wiking says.

“Finding Hygge” is a visually gorgeous documentary that shows off the picturesque Danish countryside to great effect. We see a lot of smiling Scandinavian faces and wonder if they’re really as happy as they’re depicted on screen. The Danish may not be the happiest people in the world, one says, but hygge helps them fight off the depressions that sets in during the long, bleak winters.

I get the sense Americans could do with a little hygge in our lives. Here there’s so much emphasis on what you do and what you have instead of how we relate to others. “Finding Hygge” is not just an engaging exploration of a concept; it’s truly medicine for the soul.