Sages-femmes

Sofia and her roommate Louise have completed their midwifery training and can start work in a hospital in Toulouse. Louise's first day on the ward comes at a bad time, as she is in the middle of breaking up with her boyfriend. Sofia is given the task of providing pregnancy classes, but Louise is immediately thrown in at the deep end and has to help bring several deliveries to a successful conclusion. The ward suffers from a structural staff shortage, so tensions and stress often run high - too high. The staff are friendly and caring towards the women who have to give birth, but among themselves there is a lot of shouting and swearing at each other.

Director Léa Fehner (Les ogres) based the screenplay, co-written with Catherine Paillé, on the stories of six midwives. Above all, it is an indictment of the ramshackle French healthcare system, in which everything is painfully lacking - a cry from the heart, but told with humour. Award-winning at the last Berlinale.