Holy Cow

I watched this for about half an hour before I twigged that "Totone" (Clément Faveau) was Prince Harry's stunt double! I though the resemblance was uncanny. He is an eighteen year old who works in his dad's fromagerie when he's not out on the razz. His dad also likes a glass or two, is lousy at karaoke and not much better at driving, and it's this toxic combination that leaves the young man having to look after his seven year old sister and grow up pretty swiftly. Knowing as much about cheese making as I do, he is forced to takes a job at a rival farm and that's where he, and we, discover just his hard it is to make the stuff. Did you know they have to heat the milk to 50°-odd then scoop the stuff out of a vat in less than ten seconds in something that looks like a large brassière? Well he didn't either, but together with his faithful friends "Jean-Yves" (Mattis Bernard) and "Francis" (Dimitri Baudry) sets about starting his own cottage industry. Thing is, he needs milk. He can't pay for it, so he decides to purloin it from the neighbouring farm of the sexually curious "Marie-Lise" (Maïwene Barthelemy). It's a sort of have his cheese and eat it sort of arrangement as he distracts her with nooky whilst his mates help themselves. Of course, this isn't a sustainable state of affairs for just about anyone, and for the next ninety minutes Louise Courvoisier takes us on a quickly-paced story of human nature and nurture whilst using the rakish "Totone" as an entertaining tool to showcase irresponsibly and selfishness coupled with loyalty and determination. It's been done on a budget, and some of the production is a bit ropey (especially the edits at times) but there's a solid cast telling is an engaging story of a community that has it's own rules of engagement that always requires them to say "holy cow" when astonished, amazed, annoyed - it's their one size fits all phrase! The on-form Faveau and Barthelemy gel well together, and there is also quite a fun contribution from Luna Garret as the young sister and as feel-good comedies go, this is quite good fun.

It's a coming-of-age comedy-drama set in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France in modern times. Totone (Clément Faveau) is an irresponsible 18-year-old who hangs out with Jean-Yves (Mathis Bernard) and Francis (Dimitry Baudry). He has a seven-year-old sister, Claire (Luna Garret). His father is a small-time alcoholic cheesemaker who dies in a driving-while-drunk accident early in the film. Totone goes to work for a large cheesemaker in a nearby village and develops a romantic connection with Marie-Lise (Maïwène Barthelemy), a slightly older woman who has her own dairy operation that provides high-quality milk for the large Comté Cheese operation run by her older brothers, including Cyril (Armand Sancey Richard).

"Holy Cow" follows Totone's efforts to launch a small cheesemaking operation with what remains of his father's equipment, stealing milk from his girlfriend's farm. Throughout the film, Totone's relationships with his friends, his sister, and Marie-Lise shift gradually as he becomes more honest with himself and those around him.

The movie's pace is relatively slow, but you learn much about Comté cheesemaking and rural French life. Clément Faveau does a remarkable job as Totone, given that this was his first film role. Luna Garret and Maïwène Barthelemy are also excellent. The cinematography and music track are good, especially "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine."

Some good moments, some moments that left me breathless, some scary moments and some sad moments. All in all a slice of life in rural current day France where a lot of sadness occurs. And then in the end, life goes on with no resolution but a sad outcome.

The movie is well done and all the actors are great, beautiful scenery, learning about cheesemaking and cow birth, all interesting. That said, when it was over, I was left with a melancholy feeling and wondered if it was time well spent. That's why I gave it a 6 rating instead of a 7. It was well done but wasn't worth my time? That is the question.