Modern Life (2008)
"La vie moderne" (original title)

A look at several generations of farmers and several farmer families in contemporary France.

Director:

Raymond Depardon

Stars:

Paul Argaud, Germaine Challaye, Marcel Challaye

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Paul Argaud	...	Lui-même - 63 ans, un fermier solitaire
Germaine Challaye	...	Elle-même - sa femme, 70 ans
Marcel Challaye	...	Lui-même - 80 ans, un fermier
Jacques Chirac	...	Lui-même (archive footage)
Nathalie Deleuze	...	Elle-même - sa femme
Raymond Depardon	...	Lui-même / Voix
Abel Jeanroy	...	Lui-même - 63 ans, un fermier à la retraite (as Abel Jean Roy)
Daniel Jeanroy	...	Lui-même - qui a repris la ferme sans enthousiasme (as Daniel Jean Roy)
Gilberte Jeanroy	...	Elle-même - sa femme (as Gilberte Jean Roy)
Jean-François Pantel	...	Lui-même - un jeune fermier établi dans un hameau
Marcel Privat	...	Lui-même - 88 ans, un vieux berger
Raymond Privat	...	Himself
Camille Quennehen	...	Elle-même - la fille adolescente de Cécile
Alain Rouvière	...	Lui-même - leur neveu qui gère la ferme
Cécile Rouvière	...	Elle-même - la femme qu'il vient d'épouser

Storyline

This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

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Plot Keywords:

france | cattle | farm | farm crisis | passage of time | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Ad Vitam [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 October 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Country Profiles: Modern Life

Filming Locations:

Cévennes, Lozère, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palmeraie et Désert, France 2 Cinéma, Arte France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 109528.

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Connections

Follows Profils paysans: l'approche (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Elegy opus 24 for cello and orchestra"
Composed by Gabriel Fauré
(1880)

User Reviews

it doesn't deliver.

while this installment of the series does indeed provide some very beautiful shots of rural France and the people who are farming it, it fails on several levels.

it fails to tell the story of the farmers it's following. unless you believe that sitting around a table in an uncomfortable silence responding to excruciatingly slowly delivered, simplistic questions is a true slice of their lives.

it fails to tell a story at all, barely scratching at the surface of the problems faced by these farmers using traditional methods.

it seems more a vehicle for the filmmaker to proudly tell us repeatedly how well he knows these folks (which is not borne out by the reactions of the farmers to him or his questions), while feeding us sorrowful questions about death in preparation for the mournful, cello-stoked, backwards-view-of-life ending.