With tenderness, vitality, and an insider’s gaze, Louise Courvoisier’s dazzling debut Holy Cow delivers an authentic rural odyssey that charms, moves, and lingers long after the credits roll.
Filming the countryside, rural life, its realities, its setbacks—but above all, its light and vitality. This is the project of young filmmaker Louise Courvoisier, who makes a striking debut with Holy Cow, currently presented at CINEMANIA 2024. A profoundly human work, crafted with the people of the land, as shown by the choice of local non-professional actors and the involvement of the director’s own family in the film’s making. It offers a rare insider’s perspective on rural life, one that is too seldom seen on the big screen.
What sets Courvoisier apart is the tenderness and intelligence of her gaze, allowing for an approach that is neither complacent nor judgmental. She finds the perfect balance in telling this odyssey—that of a young man propelled into adulthood too soon, forced to grow faster than expected in order to face life’s challenges. Around him are characters so true to life, so deeply endearing, that they anchor the film with warmth and authenticity.
Holy cow, the film grips us from its very first moments, with an immersive long take that immediately sweeps us into the French countryside. From there, the truth of its characters and the sharpness of its dialogue keep us invested in this authentic tale, much like last year’s Junkyard Dog by Jean-Baptiste Durand. And with its warmth and mischievous spark, Holy Cow also recalls Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share, shining a light on characters weighed down by hardship yet daring to dream, daring to chart their own course toward success and self-fulfillment.
When Totone (magnetically embodied by young Clément Faveau) is told that his cheese isn’t good yet, but that it holds promise—that it’s still young, in need of time to mature—of course, it is Totone himself they are speaking of. With the help of his friends and his irresistibly charming little sister, he manages to carve out his path, to find his way forward.
This is a film that leaves a mark—one we will gladly watch again, tirelessly recommend, and hope to see triumph at the next César Awards, France’s highest cinema honors. Because—holy cow—is it good!
