Bliss

"After Harry Joy dropped dead... his life was never the same again."

1985 1h 52m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 22

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An advertising executive dies and goes to hell... except nothing changes. Well, his daughter is buying drugs with sexual favours from her brother, and the number of cancer-causing products is on the increase. But the notes he writes to himself to prove he hasn't gone insane are getting more disjointed, and he runs off with an ex-prostitute called Honey Barbera.

“After Harry Joy dropped dead... his life was never the same again.”

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Cast

Barry Otto
Harry Joy
Lynette Curran
Bettina Joy
Helen Jones
Honey Barbara
Gia Carides
Lucy Joy
Miles Buchanan
David Joy
Tim Robertson
Alex Duval
Bryan Marshall
Adrian Clunes
Jon Ewing
Aldo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ray Lawrence
Writers: Ray Lawrence, Peter Carey
Languages: English
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ray Lawrence, shot by Paul Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Best. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Wayne LeClos shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barry Otto and Lynette Curran and Helen Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ray Lawrence directs. Paul Murphy behind the camera. Peter Best scores. Wayne LeClos cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
341 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Ray Lawrence, shot by Paul Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Peter Best. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Wayne LeClos shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Barry Otto and Lynette Curran and Helen Jones carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "After Harry Joy dropped dead... his life was never the same again.".
10IMDB entry: tt0088821 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.