Une famille heureuse

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

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.

A beautifully observed, character driven film. A delicate and subtle film that's strength lies in its simplicity. Long takes give great freedom to the actors who embody their roles with a raw honesty. The script is lean but carries an deep emotional undercurrent. Can not recommend enough.

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

This movie shows a fairly typical squabbling family living in close quarters in the struggling post-Soviet republic of Georgia. The main character, a 52 year old wife and mother feels unappreciated/unloved, gets fed up and decides to leave the chaos. It's kind of a middle-aged chick flick but the characters, setting and situation are interesting. The story unfolds organically and kept my attention throughout. There are some light moments in the film which contrasted with the melancholy. IMDB summary refers to a 'patriarchal society' but it seems the old lady of the house ran the family. As a North American who has visited Georgia, the film showed the country accurately, kind of scruffy and run down, but full of life. I recognized the Tbilisi flea market in one scene. BTW I actually might have preferred them speaking Georgian with subtitles instead of having English with American accents dubbed in, but that's a minor gripe. Great to see a slice of life from a little known but fascinating country.