My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 27, 2024

Literature teacher Manana (Ia Shugliashvili) has been married for 25 years and lives in a three-bedroom flat in Tbilisi with her husband, parents, two adult children, and her son-in-law. But on the evening of her 52nd birthday, she announces to the surprise of her family that she wants to leave. When she actually packs her suitcase and leaves, the family is shocked and incredulous: Where is she going? What is the reason for the decision? She is past the age for a divorce and has what everyone would call a good husband. But Manana sticks to her decision and does something unheard of in Georgia’s patriarchal society: She moves into a small apartment to live on her own. Written and directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and co-directed by Simon Groß (Nana & Simon), the film also stars Merab Ninidze, Berta Khapava, Tsisia Kumsishvili, Giorgi Khurtsilava, Giorgi Gio Tabidze, Goven Cheishvili, Dimitri Oragvelidze, Mariam Bokeria, Lika Babluani and Anzor Kherkhadze.

Manana is drowning in demands from literally anyone and everyone in her orbit, and responds with societal rebellion that her friends and family perceive as everything from mania to madness to melancholy. It's a setup ripe for comedy and drama, and Nana & Simon take advantage, weaving a carefully balanced dramedy that earns laughs but also explores the depths of Eastern European sadness, sorrow and cultural imprisonment. Shugliashvili could have played Manana with wide-eyed, grand-gesturing cartoonishness. Instead, though, she pulls inward. We feel Manana's depression and hopelessness, her befuddlement at where her life has led her, and her desire to strike out and simply be left alone when she seeks solitude. She's an introvert who has difficulty holding eye contact, and means little offense to anyone. But enough is enough, and her plight takes her to new understandings of herself, her unmistakably unhappy family, and her surroundings. She grabs ahold of the only reigns afforded her, and in doing so, becomes the vessel by which Nana & Simon uncover the heart and strength of Georgian independence and its refusal to roll over and suffer the persecution of an existence eked out to someone else's favor. It's a quiet, understated but excellent film, and one that speaks to the search for female empowerment the world over.

My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

My Happy Family offers a warm 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation that honors and showcases Romanian Tudor Vladimir Panduru's more lifelike hues. Primaries are strong, black levels satisfying, and contrast quite lovely. Detail is both filmic and exacting, with faint grain that's apparent at times, a handsome clarity in close-ups, and a welcome lack of hyper-sharpened traits that might highlight the film's digitally shot, limited budget origins. Thankfully, there also isn't any banding or blocking to report. Darker shots occasionally grow a tad noisy, but every instance traces back to the source, not the encode.

My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

My Happy Family features a subdued but remarkable Georgian-language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track with optional English subtitles. Voices are intelligible and nicely prioritized throughout the film, even when dialogue is hushed or whispered. LFE output is more soft-spoken, as the material dictates, but nevertheless offers its support when called upon. Rear speaker activity is more noteworthy, creating a convincing soundfield that makes good use of pinpoint directional effects and smooth channel pans. Be it a quiet apartment, a busy city street, an argument in a more open space, a crowded dinner party or an open window, the mix delivers an immersive experience.

My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

My Happy Family doesn't include any special features.

My Happy Family Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In Bloom and My Happy Family make for a terrific Georgian double feature from filmmakers Nana & Simon. Big World Pictures's Blu-ray release is a strong one as well, with a pair of praise-worthy AV presentations. More extras would have certainly added value but that doesn't make this two-film release's pricepoint any less appealing. Recommended.