Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988)

Synopsis of Life Is a Long Quiet River

Life is a Long Quiet River is the satirically philosophical title for this French domestic comedy. Borrowing a page from The Corsican Brothers, the film begins with a castoff mistress spitefully switching a pair of newborn babies at the maternity ward managed by her doctor lover. As a result, the daughter (Valerie Lalande) of a family of tramps and thieves is raised in a comfy bourgeois household, while the lowlife family ends up with the middle-class family's offspring (Benoit Magimel). Twelve years after the fact, the discarded mistress confesses to her misdeed. The mistress' ex-lover, doctor Daniel Gelin, tries to set things right, with hilariously disastrous consequences. Director Etie Chatiliez had received his training in French TV commercials, so it's not surprising that Life is a Long Quiet River is a string of anecdotes and punchlines. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director(s):

Etienne Chatiliez

Writer(s):

Florence Quentin, Etienne Chatiliez

Producer(s):

Charles Gassot, Florence Quentin

• 1988 - French Academy of Cinema - Best Original Screenplay
• 1988 - French Academy of Cinema - Best First Film
• 1988 - French Academy of Cinema - Most Promising Young Actress
• 1988 - French Academy of Cinema - Best Supporting Actress
• 1988 - French Academy of Cinema - Best Original Screenplay

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