Les enfants du marais (1999)

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A lighthearted and nostalgic drama about life among a group of close-knit friends, Les Enfants du Marais/Children of the Marshland tells the tale of a girl named Cri-Cri, who in flashback recalls growing up in a community along a quiet marsh in France. Her father, Riton (Jacques Villeret), has a good heart but a weakness for wine, and has never entirely gotten over being left by his wife (and Cri-Cri's mother), even though he's since remarried. His best friend is Garris (Jacques Gamblin), a laborer who lives in a cabin left to him by an old friend (Jacques Dufilho) and finds himself infatuated with Marie (Isabelle Carre), who works as a domestic in a nearby town. Both men are still dealing with their experiences from World War I, as is their friend Mr. Richard (Michel Serrault), who turned a junk business into a successful metal foundry but still visits his old pals at the marsh, because he feels they're the only ones who understand him. Despite lukewarm reviews, Les Enfants Du Marais/Children of the Marshland proved to be a significant box office success on its initial release in France. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi