Le Huitieme Jour: The Eighth Day
Le Huitieme Jour: The Eighth Day is about two worlds colliding – the one of a yuppie motivational speaker on the fast track, the man Harry, and the other of another man, Georges, who has Down’s Syndrome.
The cinematography alone is so fresh and exciting. As a visual feast alone the film is worth watching. But the story! The story really takes you by surprise in its richness and depth.
Synopsis
Harry (Daniel Auteuil) is a salesman who spends all of his time working. Because of that, his wife has left him, taking their two daughters with her. Alone and depressed, he sits in his upscale apartment disenchanted with what his life has become. Then Harry meets Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a young man who has Down’s syndrome. He also discovers that Georges has just escaped from a home for the handicapped. Although people keep him at a distance, he has two special angels in his life — one is his deceased mother and the other is a Latino singer who sings in his imagination.
With an exuberant expression of his feelings and a zest for living in the present moment, Georges becomes Harry’s spiritual director. He helps his new friend to slow down and to enjoy the parade. In one marvelous scene, the two are in the country about to return to town. Georges suggests they take a minute and lie down in the grass, just to observe the natural world around them. Later on a visit to the seaside, Georges helps Harry reconnect with one of his daughters by creating a magical surprise for her birthday.
Review
Jaco Van Dormael is the Belgian writer and director of Le Huitieme Jour: The Eighth Day. In it he has fashioned a buoyant spiritual film that celebrates the mysteries of friendship. One that also celebrates the moments of wonder when we are graced with an appreciation for life’s bounties.
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