As technology has made content more readily available and perspectives have shifted to being a bit more open-minded, the average moviegoer has seemingly become more adventurous when it comes to trying out non-English language films. The biggest indicator that times have changed came this year when the Oscars awarded the first non-English language film Best Picture with the historic win for Parasite. Despite this, there is still a world of movies that have almost no footprint in the North American cinematic landscape. Take for example the 1988 French comedy film Life Is A Long Quiet River directed by Étienne Chatiliez. The film was a grand box office success in its homeland, and picked up four awards including Best First Feature Film at The César Awards, the French equivalent of The Oscars. Despite this success and acclaim, I had not heard a whisper about the film prior to Arrow Academy’s announcement that they were releasing it on Blu-Ray. This thrill of discovery is what keeps me invested as a film lover.
Life Is A Long Quiet River is the kind of wry comedy that serves as more of a farcical throwback that we do not get too often these days. The opening moments of the film provide an unexpected jolt in the form of a car bombing outside of a mom and pop grocery store that yields no fatalities and is said to be the work of an anti-immigrant group. The odd thing about this is the way in which it has no bearing on anything that happens in the rest of the film in a significant way. The main plot revolves around two families; The Groseilles, who are impoverished and unsophisticated people that con their way through life, and The Le Quesnoys, who live a high class lifestyle as a devoutly religious family in the good part of town. The two should have nothing in common, except for the fact that they unknowingly are living with one child that was switched at birth with the other family. This is only revealed after an odd plot diversion in which a frustrated nurse (Catherine Hiegel), and mistress of her married boss (Daniel Gélin), reveals that she made the switch years ago to demolish his career.
While not gut-bustingly hilarious up until this point, the film gets to the meat of the material as The Groseilles agree to sell their son, Maurice (Benoît Magimel), back to The Le Quesnoys while also leaving behind their biological daughter, Bernadette (Valérie Lalonde). The way in which the film tackles the concept of nature versus nurture is where the film wrings out most of its laughs. Maurice begins to appreciate the life that he could have had without the mixup while maintaining the crooked edge that he was brought up with in his former life. His rebellious upbringing becomes something of a disease within his new environment, as members of the seemingly idyllic Le Quesnoys soon begin to indulge in more unrefined tendencies. This is not altogether a new path for Bernadette, who has always stood out as odd amongst her family with her more basic instincts. These situations offer up a new outlook on life for everyone involved, and the results of the clearer identification of self yields mixed results for everyone.
Life Is A Long Quiet River is not hilarious in the way that mainstream comedies can be. The comedy is much more sly and introspective in a way that would mostly please an arthouse crowd. The film is a clever portrayal of the disparity between classes and how that impacts their place in life in the larger scale. When The Groseilles get their money for Maurice, they automatically try to jump into the lifestyle that they believe should accompany the wealth. Even with this influx of cash, their lot in life seems largely the same, as money cannot buy sophistication. Yet, The Le Quesnoys are not depicted as some standard of excellence to aspire to, as their familial issues cannot be solved with money either. Chatiliez seems to be occupied with taking aim at the inherent absurdity of life while offering up a balanced look at each family. Neither are completely terrible or virtuous; they both tackle the complexities of life in different ways. The characters that Chatiliez has invented offer up some really hilarious moments brought to life from an immensely talented cast. There may not really be anyone in either family that you completely sympathize with, but the story works as a strange, amusing anthropological look at how the environment you grow up in can profoundly impact your life.
Video Quality
Life Is A Long Quiet River makes its Blu-Ray debut courtesy of Arrow Academy with a stellar 1080p transfer in 1.67:1 from a high definition transfer provided by MK2. This presentation is very impressive in the way it preserves the filmic look with proper film grain and texture throughout. The level of clarity and detail on this release is quite striking save for a few dimly lit interior scenes that present as a bit murky. The black levels are pleasingly deep and allow for true detail to come through. There is not a lot of opportunity for bold colors due to the generally muted nature of the production. There are some exciting instances of color within the costume designs that stand out. Skin tones are natural and lend themselves to showcasing an amazing amount of detail. Arrow Academy has done an excellent job of presenting this with nearly all of the print damage cleaned up without messing with the natural look of the film. Those who have been waiting for this one to hit Blu-Ray should feel it was worth the wait.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with an immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack in the original French, with optional English subtitles, that sonically represents the film perfectly. The activity focuses heavily on the front channels with music serving as the most dynamic way in which the soundscape opens up. Music is used skillfully throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The dialogue comes through cleanly without any noticeable digital anomalies. Rear speakers get some nice activity with ambient sounds and layered dialogue from rowdy family scenes. There is not much in the film that engages in significant low-end support, but it’s not a completely silent element. This track accomplishes everything it needs to do really well.
Special Features
- Interview with Étienne Chatiliez: A 47-minute archival interview with the co-writer and director in which he discusses his beginnings in advertising and how it impacted his creativity, what inspired him to get into comedy, why he chose to set the film in the north, the experiences working on the film and more. Chatiliez gives some great answers to the questions that enhance your appreciation for the film.
- Interview with André Wilms: A 16-minute archival interview with the actor who plays the patriarch of the Le Quesnoy family in which he discusses how he got involved in the project, his experience playing against type, why he enjoyed working with Chatiliez, his joy at the first screening and more.
- Interview with Florence Quentin: An 18-minute archival interview with the co-writer and co-producer in which she discusses her working relationship with Chatiliez, what she was trying to convey within the film, how she was almost a co-director and more. Quentin appears to have a great experience on the film and she speaks of it fondly while giving fun background information.
- Interview with Charles Gassot: An 11-minute archival interview with the co-producer in which he discusses why he felt so confident about the film, what it was like working with Chatiliez and Quentin, presenting the project to the film world and more. You get some good background on more of the business side of the film in this interview.
Final Thoughts
Life Is A Long Quiet River is a compelling farce that lacks in sympathetic characters but excels in hilarious social commentary. There are some plot elements that are underdeveloped within the film, but it serves as an excellent debut effort from writer and director Étienne Chatiliez. Arrow Academy has provided a Blu-Ray with a lovely A/V presentation and some fascinating archival interviews. If you are looking to expand your horizon into French comedy, this is a fun one to check out. Recommended
Life Is A Long Quiet River is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Academy has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.