C'est quoi la vie ? (1999): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1999, C'est quoi la vie ? is a drama film directed by François Dupeyron, running about 115 minutes.

What it’s about. In this drama, three generations of the same family work together on a farm in rural France. Elderly Noel takes pride in having worked this land nearly all his life. His son Marc now carries most of the responsibilities of the farm (as well as the debts), and he's starting to buckle under the strain. And Marc's son Nicolas hasn't decided what to do with his life; he has little interest in farming, but he isn't sure where his real talents lie. One day, after helping his cows give birth to new calves, Marc gets word that he must destroy all his cattle to prevent the spread of Mad Cow Disease. This proves the last straw for Marc, and he commits suicide. Noel doesn't handle his son's death well and ends up in a retirement home, while Marc's wife gets a job as a cashier and Nicolas looks for work (with little success) while searching for a beautiful and mysterious woman to whom he gave a ride.

Who’s in it. C'est quoi la vie ? stars Éric Caravaca as Nicolas, Jacques Dufilho as Noël, Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Marc, le père and Isabelle Renauld as Maria.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, C'est quoi la vie ? has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch C'est quoi la vie ? page.

If you liked it. Fans of C'est quoi la vie ? tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.