La vie moderne (2008)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Raymond Depardon

Writers:

Release Date:

29 October 2008 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Countryside

Awards:

1 nomination

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
Nicolas Sarkozy	...	Lui-même (archive footage)
Amandine Valla	...	Elle-même - la jeune femme de Michel, qui voudrait élever des chèvres
Michel Valla	...	Lui-même - son mari

Also Known As:

Country Profiles: Modern Life (International: English title) (literal title)
Profils paysans - La vie moderne (France) (working title)
Profils paysans: La vie moderne (France) (series title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Ariège, France

Company:

Palmeraie et Désert

Trivia:

French visa # 109528.

Movie Connections:

Follows Profils paysans: le quotidien (2005)

Soundtrack:

Elegy opus 24 for cello and orchestra

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.