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The Eighth Day Details

FULL SYNOPSIS

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. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

  • Release date:January 1, 1967

Awards

Awarded by
Nominee
Category
Year
Status
Cannes Film Festival Pascal Duquenne Best Actor 1996 Winner
Cannes Film Festival Daniel Auteuil Best Actor 1996 Winner

Cast

Daniel Auteuil
as Harry
Pascal Duquenne
as Georges
Miou-Miou
as Julie
Isabelle Sadoyan
as Georges' Mother
Henri Garcin
as Company Director
Michele Maes
as Nathalie
Raymond Lescot
as "Big Vegetable"
Remy Julienne
as Lorry Driver
Roland Depauw
as TV Chef
Sabrina Leurquin
as Waitress
Bernard Eylenbosch
as Dancing Man
Yves Degen
as Showroom Manager
Helene Roussel
as Julie's mother
Monique Fluzin
as Nathalie's Mother
Olivier Gourmet
as Father
Jacqueline Ghaye
Jean Bollery
as Nathalie's Father
Laurette Vankeerberghen
as Cleaner
Marc Schreiber
as Showroom Salesman
Jean-Henri Compère
as Teacher
Josse de Pauw
as Policeman
Christian Hecq
as Shoe Shop Manager
Didier Ferney
as Showroom Salesman
Dieudonne Kabongo
as Dustman
Dominic Gould
as Harry's Colleague
Alexandre Von Sivers
as Doctor
Fabienne Loriaux
as Fabienne
Georges Siatidis
as Showroom Security Guard
Gerard Hernandez

Crew

Jaco van Dormael
Director
Philippe Godeau
Producer
Walther van den Ende
Cinematographer
Hubert Pouille
Art Director
Dominique Josset
Executive Producer
Eric Rommeluere
Executive Producer
Yan Tax
Costume Designer
Bruno Tarriere
Sound/Sound Designer
Dominique Warnier
Sound/Sound Designer
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