Le cas du Docteur Laurent

In a picturesque but primitive mountain-top village, a middle-aged Parisian seeking a quieter life arrives to replace the traditional family doctor. Ancient local ways hamper his efforts, but in one crucial area he is determined that millennia of ignorance must be overcome. This is the belief, dating back to the Bible, that giving birth is all suffering and pain. Slowly, he manages to convince many of the women that natural childbirth can be beneficial for mother, father, and baby. Such heresy appals the all-male village council and the all-male surrounding doctors. Charged with professional misconduct, he refutes his accusers by delivering an unmarried mother of a healthy baby boy without drugs or forceps.

Celebrating the beauty of the Alps and the vibrancy of the hard-working villagers, the film above all celebrates life and the women who transmit it. In the delivery room at the end, seeing a real live baby emerge, it is the courageous young mother whose triumph and joy we share.