Switzerland is still one of the richest countries in the world. But there are cracks in its foundation, argues director Jan-Eric Mack.
“During the pandemic, we started seeing people lining up to get food. It was an unusual sight in Switzerland, where you don’t see poverty on the streets that much. But these numbers are rising,” he says.
“People don’t talk about it, but so many of them are affected. Especially single mothers.”
In “A Happy Family” – the first Swiss film to be screened in Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s Crystal Globe Competition – Niki (Anna Schinz) works all the time to provide for her two children.
One day, when she’s away again, they accidentally set the kitchen on fire and the authorities place them with a foster family in another city. Niki isn’t allowed to contact or see her kids – but she can’t stay away.
