A table of Provence-based shepherds laugh, quizzing the newest member of their rural community, Mathyas (Félix-Antoine Duval). A Montrealer on his way to a white collar job, Mathyas throws it all away, seemingly. Gentle ribbing aside, he does find a close community with fellow farm hands like Ahmed (Michel Benizri). His presence also attracts another newcomer, Elise (Solene Rigot), leaving a bureaucrat’s life to care for sheep.
Soon, Mathyas and Elise go from cityfolk to knowing how to command sheep through sheep calls. They end up working for a breeder (Guilaine Londez) who gives them the hardest job for shepherds. They must care for and transport the sheep to a grazing mountain near the Italian border. Being a shepherd in an open area is violent work and one that has conditions prone to danger.
Shepherds doesn’t just show this straight couple getting better at a job that isn’t for amateurs, as it also shows the not so glamorous part of an unglamourous job – the part involving death. Most viewers comfort themselves within binaries – rural is heaven, urban is hell – that are inherently interchangeable.
Viewers may also assume that sheepherding is a boy’s club, a stereotype that Shepherds shatter with success. It makes sense for a male writer and a female director to have strong female characters here. Two women are at different levels in the industry, both getting their hands dirty with necessary work. Despite difficulties, Elise and their boss have fun moment, then it’s on to the next.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/7/2024
- Directed by: Sophie Deraspe
- Starring: Félix-Antoine Duval, Guilaine Londez, Solène Rigot
- Written by: Mathyas Lefebure, Sophie Deraspe
- Studio: Avenue B Productions, micro_scope
