A Happy Family

Niki works two jobs, but the little money she earns is barely enough to cover the living expenses for her and her two young children. One day, when the children are left unsupervised, they accidentally set the kitchen on fire, and so the Swiss authorities place them with a foster family on the other side of the country. Though forbidden from contacting her children, Niki decides to track them down. The first Swiss film to be screened in Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe Competition, Happy Family draws its strength from a determined yet ambivalent protagonist whose actions shed light on a rigid social system while reflecting the conflict between parental instinct and personal responsibility. Adding to the film’s strong dramatic arc is an exceptionally compelling performance by Anna Schinz.