Manana’s decision to challenge the social expectations of women in her community gives My Happy Family a feminist streak.

At the reunion, a devastating secret is revealed: her husband, Soso, had an affair while married to Manana and fathered a boy who is now 13 years old.

In the film, the leading actress, Ia Shughliashvili, performs a song by Inola Gurgulia, who in real life happens to be her mother.

The story is laced with lovely melodies and traditional songs that play off Manana’s internal desperation; the camera roams freely around her in crowded scenes that show just how much the groupthink alienates her from her own needs.

"[10] In The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer wrote that the film is "a simple, somewhat mundane scenario that, in the hands of a terrific cast and two talented filmmakers, is transformed into a minor Greek comic-tragedy, with one fearless woman trying to stave off loved ones who smother her with guilt and affection.