Plot

For thirty years now Maria and José Ribeiro have been living on the ground floor of a Haussmannian building in one of the most exclusive districts of Paris. Everybody loves this nice couple of Portuguese immigrants, Mario for being a topnotch caretaker, José, a construction site supervisor by trade, for helping to do all kinds of jobs in the house. So, the day Maria and José announce their wish to return to Portugal, everybody is crushed. No, they just can't let them do a thing like that...!—Guy Bellinger

Portuguese immigrants, Maria (Blanco) and José (de Almeida) have lived in Paris for 30 years raising their now adult daughter and teenage son. Returning to Portugal is now possible, but they struggle with how to tell those around them. When word of the big news spreads, their family, neighbours, friends and employers are scrambling behind the scenes to find ways to prevent them from leaving.

Maria (Rita Blanco) and José (Joaquim de Almeida) emigrated from Portugal 30 years ago. Ever since, they have lived in the modest ground floor lodgings of a chic apartment building in Paris, raising their now adult daughter and teenage son. They are universally liked around the community: Maria is the buildings concierge, always available even on her day off maintaining the high standards the inhabitants depend on. José, a building site foreman, is equally as indispensable to his boss (though both men are unaware that their son and daughter are secretly engaged). When José learns he has inherited the family winery and the couples dream of returning to Portugal is now possible, they are elated but struggle with how to tell those around them. However, word of the big news spreads anyway, and soon their family, neighbours, friends and employers are scrambling behind the scenes to find ways to prevent them from leaving Richly informed by his own upbringing as the son of Portuguese immigrants in Paris, Alves warm-hearted, cross-cultural comedy features a terrific ensemble cast, spot-on comic timing and a thoroughly appealing central couple, whose dilemmas are portrayed with great tenderness and affection. Enthusiastically embraced by audiences upon release in April this year, THE GILDED CAGE became the sleeper box office hit of the French spring, achieving over 1.2 million admissions in less than five weeks.