Hacker Cinema
Life Is a Long Quiet River
La vie est un long fleuve tranquille
1988 · Film · 90 min
Directed by Étienne Chatiliez
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.
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1 comment on Hacker News
To summarize, two babies were switched at birth with plausible explanation as to why neither mother acted on her suspicions. Each mother bonded with her non-biological child, and raised her as her own (just like millions of adoptions the world over). 10 years later, when a paternity test finally happened (the delay was better explained in these HN comments) and the families were reunited, differences in parenting and family dynamics (one said to have strict discipline) meant neither family got along with their biological child nor wanted to keep in close touch. They still made about $1 million each from the birth clinic in a civil suit.
I'm not really sure what the big deal is here, and whatever cultural significance was missed by the NYT author (surprising given the French-sounding name). Fact is, this was the plot of a hugely successful French movie in back in 1988, thus still entrenched in the memories of many adults. Of course, the movie was more of a white-collar vs blue-collar social satire and very funny. But the real story for the French audience was that of life imitating art.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_a_Long_Quiet_River
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_vie_est_un_long_fleuve_tranquille