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It could not have come at a better time,this tribute to the staff of a maternity hospital:midwives, nurses, nurses' aides .I could do without Bonnaire's rock singer past and her daughter's clichéed frames of mind ;the gist of the movie , which takes place in the maternity is close to documentary ,and Sandrine Bonnaire is not really the star , all the actresses are admirable: the midwife (Brigitte Rouan ) did not choose this job -she wanted to become a doctor- but her work has become her raison d'être ,in spite of moments of despondency .These underpaid women 's commitment to their work is extraordinary: from the nurses' aide who rocks a crying baby to sleep to Bonnaire who literally saves a baby -and there's won't be any vainglory or legion d'honneur -;one feels the compassion ,the camaraderie ,the solidarity when one of them is held responsible for the death of a baby ,the joie de vivre when ,during a rebellion against the inhuman working conditions (a meager bonus of 20 euros for night work ) , they break into a song "mamy blue" which cheers them up. Even though sometimes they quarrel or meet people at the door shouting against the termination of pregnancy.

The first sequence sums it up in an admirably succint style: too many patients , shortstaffed nurses and others...