Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday opens with pictures of a deserted Russian hospital, that was once full of new life. In a semi-documentary style, Larisa Sadilova describes events in a maternity unit. She ingeniously tells us the stories of five women who have babies in the hospital, mixing fictional elements with authentic film material of the maternity ward. The result is a refined portrait, seen from a typically female point of view, of everyday life in Russia, in which the social background of the women is discussed in a subtle and humorous way.The fictional figure of Lyuda, a woman who has lost her mind after the death of her baby, roams through the story. The hospital basically wants to get rid of her, but there is no room for her in the mental hospital. Alongside her we see Lyuba, a girl of fourteen who is looking forward to having her first baby, and Sveta, whose soldier still has his doubts about marrying despite her growing belly.The mental and physical tension in the ward creates an intimate atmosphere among the women. The expectant mothers are shown alongside their family, including a happy father who drags a whole brass band along to the hospital.The actress Larisa Sadilova dedicated her feature début to her little son Vladimir.