The Children of the Marshland

The Children of the Marshland (Les Enfants du marais) is a 1999 French film directed by Jean Becker.

Plot
The film is set in a marsh, along the banks of Loire river, about ten years after the great war. Riton is afflicted with a bad-tempered wife and three unruly children. Garris lives alone with his recollections of World War I trenches. Their daily life consists of seasonal work and visits from their two pals: Tane, the local train conductor and Amédée, a dreamer and voracious reader of classics.

Cast

 * Jacques Villeret as Riton
 * Jacques Gamblin as Garris
 * André Dussollier as Amédée
 * Michel Serrault as Pépé la Rainette
 * Isabelle Carré as Marie
 * Eric Cantona as Jo Sardi
 * Jacques Boudet as Tane
 * Suzanne Flon as Old Cri Cri
 * Jacques Dufilho as Old man
 * Gisèle Casadesus as Madame Mercier
 * Roland Magdane as Felix
 * Anne Le Guernec as Mireille

Production
Filming took place entirely in Rhône-Alpes:
 * Ain (Colomieu, Montmerle-sur-Saône, Trévoux, Cerdon, Fareins)
 * Rhône (Lyon, Morancé, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Cogny)
 * Ardèche (Lamastre)

Box office
The film was one of the highest grossing French films for the year, with a gross of $11.3 million.