MOVIE REVIEW : ‘Life Is a Long Quiet River’ Runs Funny and Deep

Etienne Chatiliez’s stunningly original, provocative and darkly comic “Life Is a Long Quiet River” (at the Music Hall), one of the best French films of recent years, finds in the switching of babies at birth a rich source for social satire. Putting a dizzying spin on the old nature-versus-nurture controversy, Chatiliez introduces us two radically different households in a small provincial city. (You may be surprised to find yourself reminded of the made-in-Baltimore satires of John Waters, especially “Hairspray” and “Crybaby.”)

The Le Quesnoys live in a well-appointed, smoothly-run turn-of-the-century townhouse. Monsieur Le Quesnoy (Andre Wilms) is the head of the local electric company, and his determinedly smiling wife (Helene Vincent) works tirelessly at being the perfect wife and mother.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the Groseilles are crammed into an untidy apartment decorated in a riot of clashing floral prints. Monsieur Groseille (Maurice Mons) is a skinny, tattooed deadbeat. Madame Le Quesnoy finds time to run up place mats for charity sales and help her song-writing, pop-singing priest stage his musical shows for children. All the pretty but fat Madame Groseille (Christine Pignet) ever does is change the color of her hair.

Except that both families have a large number of children they would seem to have nothing in common and no connection whatsoever--until they learn that the Le Quesnoys’ 12-year-old Bernadette (Valerie Lalande) is really a Groseille and that the Groseille’s 12-year-old Maurice (Benoit Magimel) is a really a Le Quesnoy. (How the two children came to be switched in the hospital where they were born is too hilarious to be revealed here.)

Tone and control are overwhelmingly crucial in satire, and Chatiliez, an esteemed, innovative director of commercials in his feature debut, reveals himself to be a master of judiciousness who can tell as story with a camera as easily as with a pen. “Life Is a Long Quiet River”--that title is of course ironic (and how!)--is never, never merely a broad, superficial swipe at the bourgeoisie. The beauty of the endlessly well-meaning Le Quesnoys’ agonizingly funny predicament when they try to do right by Maurice as well as Bernadette derives from the fact that their religious piety and their passion for order is a sincere, heartfelt expression of gratitude for their good fortune in life. Chatiliez’s point here is that security is after all an illusion, that vulnerability in fact may be in direct proportion to the degree of one’s moral rectitude, and that life is inherently absurd anyway.

On the other hand, virtue and propriety are often luxuries that the Groseilles simply cannot afford, yet they are warm and loving.

So often in satire filmmakers reserve sympathy for their central figures and caricature everyone else, but while Chatiliez can be tart, even stinging, he is steadfastly fair and clear-eyed. What makes “Life Is a Long Quiet River” (Times rated Mature for adult themes, situations) work so well is that all its people possess dimension, and its large cast, in which Helene Vincent is especially notable for never letting Madame Le Quesnoy become merely a joke, is remarkably disciplined yet seems always spontaneous. Of equal importance in the story are veteran star Daniel Gelin as the local doctor, a veteran roue, and Catherine Hiegel as his long-suffering nurse-mistress. Chatiliez, by the way, wisely doesn’t dwell on the heredity-versus-environment question but clearly comes down on the side of environment when all is said and done.

‘LIFE IS A LONG QUIET RIVER’

An MK2 Productions USA release. Executive producer Florence Quentin. Producer Charles Gassot. Co-producers MK2 Productions/FR 3 Films Production in association with Sofica Investimage with the participation of the National Center of Cinematography. Director Etienne Chatiliez. Screenplay Quentin, Chatiliez. Camera Pacal Lebegue. Music Gerard Kawcyzynski. Production designer Geoffrey Larcher. Costumes Elisabeth Tavernier. Film editor Chantal Delattre. With Benoit Magimel, Valerie Lalande, Helene Vincent, Andre Wilms, Christine Pignet, Maurice Mons, Daniel Gelin, Catherine Hiegel. In French with English subtitles.

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Times-rated: Mature: some sex, nudity, adult themes)