18-year-old Totone spends most of his time drinking beer and partying in the Jura region with his group of friends until reality catches up with him when he has to take care of his 7-year-old sister and find a way to make a living. He sets out to make the best Comté cheese in the region in an attempt to win the gold medal at the agricultural competition and 30,000 euros.
The Garden Cinema View:
Louise Courvoisier's humorous and moving debut inventively entangles the complex craft of cheesemaking in France's Comté region with the labyrinthian process of maturing adolescence. The film's greatest strength lies in its sense of place, transporting us to the area with its lush green landscapes, ancient caseiculture traditions, and intimate portrayal of working-class youth. We become thoroughly immersed in this complex craft - a process equally challenging and rewarding, subject to countless variables and uncertainties.
Holy Cow's authenticity is further enhanced by Courvoisier's decision to employ her own family in set design and soundtrack creation, alongside her cast of first-time, untrained local actors. The story revolves around the testosterone driven and hard-headed Totore (an excellent Clément Faveau), who is gradually redeemed by allowing softness to penetrate his defences. Against a backdrop of the old ways, this untamed and charismatic protagonist simultaneously frustrates us and earns our respect.
While honouring the tradition of French social realism, Courvoisier refreshes the genre by finding poetry in this rural labour, while never romanticising its hardships and characters.
