Holy Cow
A teenage boy from a family of Comté cheese makers is left alone to look after his little sister in Louise Courvoisier’s optimistic, warm-hearted rural drama.
18-year-old Totone spends most of his time drinking, partying and hoping to have sex. Reality catches up with him when, overnight, he’s forced to grow-up and earn a living. So, he sets out to make the best Comté cheese in the region – and win the €30,000 prize at the agricultural competition.
Set in France’s beautiful Jura department, this is one of those rare films that captures rural life without romanticising it. Director Courvoisier gets wonderfully nuanced performances from her teenage cast and what starts out as a gritty, realist drama turns into something far warmer and more genuinely touching than you’re likely to expect.
Winner of the Youth Prize (Un Certain Regard), Cannes Film Festival.
France 2024. Director Louise Courvoisier. With Clément Faveau, Luna Garret, Maiwene Barthelemy. 92 mins. 15
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Reviews
★★★★
The nourishment in this terrific, big-hearted drama comes from Courvoisier’s satisfyingly full-blooded characters.
★★★★
Sentimental in the best of ways, with its warmth and hope in human nature.
Luminous and joyful.