Sergio Y. goes to America

Sergio Y., a teenager from São Paulo, believes himself destined for unhappiness. In an attempt to change that fate, he seeks out Dr. Armando, one of the city's finest psychotherapists. This is the starting point of the journey he is about to undertake.

Necessity strengthens courage. But courage can only be acted upon with optimism. Anyone who leaves where they are believes in the possibility that life can improve. Sergio Y. shares the optimistic inheritance of his great-grandfather, Areg Yacoubian: the belief that happiness exists and is worth pursuing.

Dr. Armando never imagined that his patient Sergio Y. would be courageous enough to reinvent himself in another country. Years after the therapy has ended, when he discovers the unexpected paths his former patient's life has taken, he is shocked and struggles to understand what happened.

For Sergio Y. and his great-grandfather, geography — whether physical or social — stood in the way of a happy life. For them, “what I am” and “what I can be” were limited by “where I am.” When the place they inhabited no longer allowed for happiness, displacement emerged as an existential possibility.

This story is for those who believe, and feel, that they have all of life and every place in the world in which to try to become happier. Sergio Y. went to America. Areg Yacoubian came to Brazil, but their journey was the same. Because the impulse to move is contagious, and so is the desire to be happy.