''The Eighth Day'' (french: Le huitième jour) is a 1996 Franco-Belgian comedy-drama film that tells the story of the friendship that develops between two men who meet by chance. Harry (

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

), a divorced businessman who feels alienated from his children, meets Georges ( Pascal Duquenne), an institutionalised man with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, after Georges has escaped from his mental institution and is nearly run over by Harry. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

69th Academy Awards The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the cerem ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The film was written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael. Some scenes in the film appear as dream sequences, often employing magical realism. The music of Luis Mariano ("Mexico," and "Maman, Tu Es La Plus Belle Du Monde") is used in these scenes, with actor Laszlo Harmati playing Mariano, who died in 1970. The original music score is from Pierre Van Dormael, Jaco's brother.

Cast

as Harry * Pascal Duquenne as Georges *

Miou-Miou Sylvette Herry (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Miou-Miou (), is a French actress. A ten-time César Award nominee, she won the César Award for Best Actress for the 1979 film ''Memoirs of a French Whore''. Her other films incl ...

as Julie * Henri Garcin as The director of the bank * Isabelle Sadoyan as Georges' Mother * Michele Maes as Nathalie * Fabienne Loriaux as Fabienne * Hélène Roussel as Julie's mother * Alice van Dormael as Alice * Juliette Van Dormael as Juliette * Didier De Neck as Fabienne's husband * Marie-Pierre Meinzel * Sabrina Leurquin as Waitress in fast food restaurant * Laszlo Harmati as Luis Mariano

Reception

The film grossed $24.3 million in France and $37.1 million worldwide.

Awards

This film was nominated for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

award, the top prize at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. It did win the Best Actor award at the festival, which was given to both Pascal Duquenne and

. The film was also nominated for a César Award and a Golden Globe award.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eighth Day 1996 films 1996 comedy-drama films Down syndrome in film 1990s French-language films Films about friendship Films directed by Jaco Van Dormael Films shot in Brussels Gramercy Pictures films Pan-Européenne films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films Belgian comedy-drama films French-language Belgian films

Cast

Reception

Awards

See also

References

External links