Daniel Auteuil, Pascal Duquenne, Miou-MiouĀ
Isabelle Sadoyan, Henri Garcin, Michele MaesĀ
Nathalie Ponlot, Vincent Rapaillerie, Two men with seemingly nothing
in common become unlikely friends in this drama from France. Harry
(Daniel Auteuil) is a salesman working for a large but faceless
corporation, where he's become a success at the expense of his personal
life. His wife Julie (Miou-Miou), frustrated by his lack of concern
for his family, has divorced him, and while he still has visitation
rights to his children, he manages to forget when it's his weekend
with his daughters, and he neglects to pick them up at the train
station. Harry is depressed and nearly suicidal; while driving late
one rainy night, he accidentally hits a dog who is walking with
Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a personable young man with Down's Syndrome.
Georges lives in a mental institution, where he's happy and well
cared for, but when several of the other patients leave for a weekend
visit, Georges decides that he should leave too, and he sets out
to visit his mother. Harry can't bring himself to leave Georges
behind, so after burying the dog, he offers to drive him to his
mother's home, which becomes the start of a complicated odyssey
for the two of them, especially after Harry finds out that Georges'
mother is no longer alive. Actor Pascal Duquenne actually does have
Down's Syndrome; he and co-star Daniel Auteuil shared the Best Actor
award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. |