Meine glückliche Familie

An honest, moving movie, with some of the loveliest music and singing.

Beautifully bare bones film of life as it can be within the struggle of life, happiness and family for a woman, her husband and children who desires nothing more than her own self. We need many more such creations on film

I came across this film by accident while searching for something new to view on Netflix. It was such a simple story about the dynamics of a family, centered around a middle-aged woman, that it pulled me in from the start. I felt like I could have been watching a documentary. The acting was spot on and the one shot camera sequences were captivating. Simply a great view!

Fantastic depiction of Georgian culture of extended families with elegant twists, wonderful acting and songs

The Georgian film Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi (2017) was shown in the U. S. with the translated title My Happy Family. It was written and co-directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili. (The other co-director was Simon Groß.)

Ia Shugliashvili portrays Manana, a middle-aged teacher. She lives with her father, mother, husband, son, and daughter in a crowded apartment. There's no real hostility, but people are endlessly bickering

One day she decides to leave her home and rent an apartment. She doesn't ask for a divorce. She just moves out. This isn't exactly normative in the U. S., but it's definitely not normative in Georgia. The plot follows Manana's activities after she has made this move.

Ia Shugliashvili is a professional actor, and has made other films. I think she plays Manana in an excellent, fully believable manner. She has the title role, and the movie rises or falls on her work. I think it rose.

This movie worked on the small screen. It has a solid IMDb rating of 7.4. I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 9.

P. S. The closing scene is fascinating. It leaves matters open to interpretation.