Life Is a Long Quiet River

"Those Two families should never have met"

1988 1h 30m FR

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 469

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two babies are switched at birth. When the mistake is discovered 12 years later, it leads to complications in the lives of both families. One family is affluent, with dutiful and (apparently) contented children. The other family is poor, with rambunctious (even delinquent) children, often hungry, but with lots of laughter in the house.

“Those Two families should never have met”

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Cast

Benoît Magimel
Momo Groseille
Valérie Lalande
Bernadette Le Quesnoy
Catherine Hiegel
Josette
Daniel Gélin
Docteur Mavial
Hélène Vincent
Madame Marielle Le Quesnoy
André Wilms
Monsieur Jean Le Quesnoy
Christine Pignet
Madame Groseille
Maurice Mons
Monsieur Groseille

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Étienne Chatiliez
Writers: Florence Quentin, Étienne Chatiliez
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Étienne Chatiliez, shot by Pascal Lebègue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gérard Kawczynski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chantal Delattre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Benoît Magimel and Valérie Lalande and Catherine Hiegel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Those Two families should never have met".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Étienne Chatiliez directs. Pascal Lebègue behind the camera. Gérard Kawczynski scores. Chantal Delattre cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Étienne Chatiliez, shot by Pascal Lebègue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Gérard Kawczynski. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Chantal Delattre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Benoît Magimel and Valérie Lalande and Catherine Hiegel carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Those Two families should never have met".
9IMDB entry: tt0096386 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.