It all began with a family story from the little-known French region of Morvan. Vincent Robert’s family, to be precise, as his great-grandmother had been a wet nurse herself.
While investigating his own past, the seasoned writer learned more and more about what would be the grounds of “Swapped,” (aka “Sorority”) a six-part, high-end period thriller co-written with Alexandra Echkenazi that is now being highlighted by France TV Distribution at the Unifrance Rendez-vous, before heading to La Rochelle Fiction Festival later this year.
In “Swapped,” Rose (Lula Cotton-Frapier) leaves her rural home to become a wet nurse for a bourgeois family in late 19th century Paris. There, she meets midwife Odette (Barbara Probst), who warns her: she won’t be allowed to keep her own child with her. A risky solution presents itself to Rose: secretly exchange her baby with that of Hélène de Gersande (Alexia Giordano), a mother grieving the sudden loss of her infant. Rose, Odette, and Hélène, three women from very different backgrounds, will have to join forces to carve out a place for themselves in a male-dominated world, and claim their freedom.
With producer Christine de Bourbon Busset, who called upon Belgian TV power-duo Vania Leturcq and Savina Dellicour (“Pandora”) to helm the six episodes, Echkenazi and Robert set out on this risky yet captivating journey. As the series sets sail, Variety spoke with the team about the makings of this modern take on France’s untold history.
