Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988) on Netflix
In the far north of France, two families live very differently. Twelve years after two babies were switched, the mistake comes to light and both households must reckon with it.
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- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.8/105,196 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Two large families live in the same northern French town but lead very different lives. The Groseilles get by on benefits and petty crime in run-down social housing, and their twelve-year-old, Maurice, is tidy and intelligent yet as criminal as the rest of the household. The Le Quesnoys are practicing Catholics with a large detached house; the father directs the regional electricity company and the mother keeps house and children. Their twelve-year-old, Bernadette, gives them trouble. The two twelve-year-olds were switched as babies, a fact that comes to light now and unsettles both families.
Cast
- Jean-Brice Van Keeras Mathieu Le Quesnoy
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Life Is a Long Quiet River owed its initial box office success to clever marketing: a trailer containing no footage or scenes from the film, and a poster showing only the title.
- It was the first feature film by Étienne Chatiliez, who until then had a successful career directing commercials known for their quirky, whimsical style.
- The song "Jésus Reviens", performed in a church scene, is recognised by many young French people as one of the film's satirical digs at French Catholic bourgeois culture.
- The film went on to influence French cinema: the 2009 film Neuilly sa mère ! was heavily influenced by Life Is a Long Quiet River.
