Les Cowboys (2015)

When his daughter goes missing from their prairie town east of France, Alain and his young son, Kid, head out to find her. The journey takes the men to some far-off and unsettling places in what begins to feel like an endless quest.

Director:

Thomas Bidegain

Writers:

Laurent Abitbol (original idea), Thomas Bidegain (original idea)

Stars:

François Damiens, Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Dronne

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
François Damiens	...	Alain Balland
Finnegan Oldfield	...	Georges Balland, dit Kid
Agathe Dronne	...	Nicole Balland
Ellora Torchia	...	Shazhana
Antoine Chappey	...	Charles
Maxim Driesen	...	Kid (13 ans)
Jean-Louis Coulloc'h	...	L'Indien
Gilles Treton	...	Sheriff
Francis Leplay	...	L'homme du train
Djemel Barek	...	Le père d'Ahmed
Mounir Margoum	...	Ahmed
Leïla Saadali	...	La mère d'Ahmed
Laure Calamy	...	Isabelle
Antoine Régent	...	Marc
Iliana Zabeth	...	Kelly Balland

Storyline

Right under everyone's noses, Kelly--the sixteen-year-old daughter of the devoted father and aspiring country singer, Alain--vanishes into thin air, during a mid-1990s cowboy fair. Convinced that his girl is kidnapped and that her incomprehensible disappearance is somehow connected to her newly discovered Muslim boyfriend, a furious and desperate Alain sets out on a long journey into the unknown to find missing Kelly, following a menacing trail of breadcrumbs from Antwerp to Yemen and Pakistan. Against the backdrop of the devastating September 11 attacks, Alain and his son, Georges, find themselves always one step behind, as fierce hatred turns into destructive obsession. A father and a brother want their Kelly back; however, is the young woman they seek, the woman they lost?

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Plot Keywords:

france | muslim convert | missing person | father son relationship | car crash | 

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Taglines:

One father's obsession to find his daughter.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a brief violent image and a scene of drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

François Damiens plays a character very close to the one he had a couple of years earlier, in Gare Du Nord, where he also played a character searching for his wayward daughter.

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Goofs

Kid watches a news report of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The reporter says that the Department of Homeland Security is in a panic because of the attack. The Department of Homeland Security did not exist on 9/11. It's creation did not take place until November 25, 2002, a little more than a year after the attacks.

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Connections

Remake of The Searchers (1956)

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Soundtracks

Tennessee Waltz
Lyrics by Redd Stewart
Music by Pee Wee King
Performed by Connie Francis
(p) 1959 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Records, Inc.
© 1946 Acuff Rose Music Inc, administre par Chester Music Ltd pour les territoires du British Commonwealth, de l'Europe continentale, Irlande et Afrique du Sud / Sony ATV Acuff Rose Music Incl.
Avec l'lautorisation d'Universal Music Vision, de Campbell Connelly France et de Sony ATV Music Publishing France. Tous droits reserves

User Reviews

Blinding, Relentless Pursuit, and Letting Go

A young woman slips away into the night while her family is preoccupied at their beloved country western fair. "Don't look for me," she writes "I have the life I have chosen now." Her father and brother search anyway, across continents and time. The girl's father is particularly obsessed with the search. He throws his life and savings into the pursuit, learns Arabic and travels to the ends of the earth at the slightest hint of her whereabouts. "Forget about your daughter," he is told "go back home and take care of your son." Yet the father sees nothing else beyond the chase. This blinding, relentless pursuit comes with severe consequences. It consumes them, these cowboys - these men and women from scattered lands, if they cannot let go. Some can let go, others cannot. Some get second chances.

Intriguing themes of Les Cowboys include letting go and the search for purpose and empathy (or lack thereof) in life. The wonderful cinematography and soundtrack of the film deftly convey emotion. Excellent screen writing; Bidegain is a screen writer turned director. His writing/co-writing credits include films I admire; A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and Dheepan. John C. Reilly makes a surprise appearance.

Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

English French Urdu

Release Date:

25 November 2015 (France)

Also Known As:

Les Cowboys

Filming Locations:

Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,178, 26 June 2016

Gross USA:

$73,725

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,302,493

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trésor Films, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1