La vie ... is one of the movies I have rewatched and reliked over a long period of time. Incredibly, this was the first movie for the filmmaker and most of his actors, who nonetheless managed to deliver time-proof quality.
This is a very dark movie which pitches two families against each other - - the ne'er-do-well Grosseilles and the terribly nice Le Quesnoy family of the local electricity works director. As it turns out, a jilted nurse switched their newborns 12 years ago, which might account for the boy's criminal intelligence and the daughter's predilection for dressing up as a tart. Sit back and watch one family squander their fortunes, and the other family fall into social decline.
This is a very dark movie which pitches two families against each other - - the ne'er-do-well Grosseilles and the terribly nice Le Quesnoy family of the local electricity works director. As it turns out, a jilted nurse switched their newborns 12 years ago, which might account for the boy's criminal intelligence and the daughter's predilection for dressing up as a tart. Sit back and watch one family squander their fortunes, and the other family fall into social decline.