An unusual and wonderful friendship develops between a busy but unhappy salesman and a resident of a mental asylum.An unusual and wonderful friendship develops between a busy but unhappy salesman and a resident of a mental asylum.An unusual and wonderful friendship develops between a busy but unhappy salesman and a resident of a mental asylum.
- Awards
- 6 wins & 6 nominations
Michele Maes
- Nathalie
- (as Michèle Maes)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBoth Pascal Duquenne and Daniel Auteuil tied for the Best Actor Award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival for their roles in this film. This was the first time such an event had happened.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 54th Golden Globe Awards (1997)
Featured review
I laughed through my tears!
Everyone we meet influences our thinking, modifies our ways, a little bit of that person rubs off onto us. "The Eighth Day" takes up this theme (Compare "Rainmaker"). In this film Harry (Daniel Auteuil) a businessman expert in sales psychology meets up with Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a Down's Syndrome child on the run. Winning performances from both these actors give this film its main strength. The opening sequence is excellent where Georges relates his theory on the creation of the world and in the closing scene we discover what God created on the eighth day. There are some moments in the story that are very frustrating for Harry. For example, Georges who is completely uninhibited demands a pair of expensive shoes and hasn't enough money. It's the kind of scene where you laugh through your tears. I liked the scene where the Down's Syndrome group on a trip to the Art Gallery escape on a bus and gate-crash the Paradis fun park. The most humorous of all the embarrassments is the scene where Harry and Georges pass a horse-float on the highway and, looking back, Georges gives the driver a rude salute. But there are some gentle scenes as well, especially the impressive use of close-ups of hands - hands feeling the sun,wind and rain, hands reaching up, hands reaching out and clasping in love and friendship. This is true cinema which touches the heart. There are very moving scenes where Georges proposes to Nathalie, where Georges cradles Harry's head in his arms, where Georges keeps calling for his dear Mom, where Georges teaches Harry to laugh..I felt there was a profound message in the film that life is beautiful- the very presence of grass (Did you know it cries when you cut it?), the trees overhead, the song of birds, the little insects - all nature's miraculous creatures. They are all there to be enjoyed if we but lie back (like Harry and Georges) look around us and listen......A beautiful film.
helpful•43
- raymond-15
- Sep 11, 1999
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- FRF 25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $416,401
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $14,397
- Mar 9, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $33,031,984
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