TL;DR – A delightful romp set in the French countryside, in a world of cheese, stock cars, and the perils of growing up.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Holy Cow Introduction –

One of my favourite films to review is when directors/writers have been putting in the work to build their craft and finally get the chance to bring their first feature outing to the big screen. Today’s entry is just such a film, with Louise Courvoisier bringing so much of herself to the big screen. Well, it is time to fly to rural France and into the world of cheese.  

So, to set the scene, Totone (Clément Faveau) has just left school and is enjoying that time in his life where all he needs to do in a day is have fun, go drinking with his friends, and occasionally get into fights with kids from the other village. However, his entire life is upended when his father is killed in a car crash, and suddenly, he must care for his young sister Claire (Luna Garret). Totone must sell almost everything to survive; however, when he discovers there is a €30,000 prize for the best Comté cheese. Well, Totone takes it upon himself and commits some minor theft to make the best cheese in the valley.

Casting

It was a stroke of brilliance to cast most of the first-time actors from the region the film is set in, because it gives the audience an instant buy-in to the film. Even me, someone from Australia who had to double check where Jura is in France, can still feel the authenticity of the work because the cast are bringing their all to the film. Clément Faveau is a compelling lead, even though he is playing a character who is a bit of an arse. Maïwène Barthélemy elevates Marie-Lise into being more than just a love interest with her performance. Also, I have to shout out Luna Garret for nailing that fine line between probably more mature at seven than her older brother, yet still also being very much a 7-year-old.

Holy Cow pulls for some of the best aspects of the coming-of-age genre because it plops our protagonist in a situation that is unfortunately plausible. Totone is living in the highlight of his youth, that moment after school and the weight of the world is thrown upon him. Only to get dragged into responsibility woefully before he is ready. From this point, you understand every action he makes, even the mistakes, especially the mistakes, and that does make you feel for him and his situation. I mean, not enough to excuse him for some of the choices he makes, but you do understand the options he is working with.

Structure

Structurally, the film is quite interesting because it meanders in a way that I usually would find frustrating, but here it ended up being more charming than anything else. We take deep dives into cheese making, which fills you almost with the same confidence that Totone has, where you think you could grab some milk, pull out an urn, set a fire, and go at it. I still don’t understand stock car racing, but it was fascinating to watch. It is Totone’s growing maturity throughout the film, under a stress that is not helpful, that marks the film, because it is clear there were profound family issues that he had to work within, even before the accident.

While I tend to avoid discussing the end of a film out of fear of delving into spoilers for people, Holy Cow is one of those films where the ending deserves attention. So, if you don’t want to hear about that, skip to the following paragraph. The end of the film is not resting on a triumph, or even a profound moment, but instead it sets its closure on a vibe, and I found that such an interesting point to finish on. There is not a lot of resolution in this film, but there is a lot of hope. Foolhardy hope for most of the runtime, but in the ending, you feel that hope is positioned on more solid ground. Totone understands the world better, understands that relationships [romantic and familial] are two-way streets, and has a clarity on his future. Of course, that’s just my interpretation of what the film suggests. Indeed, the only definitive thing the film does in the end is link itself back to the beginning via exposure. But that choice on ending on a vibe had the movie permeating through my mind on the trip home.

Conclusion

In the end, do we recommend Holy Cow? Look, this is a wonderfully produced film about cheese in the French countryside. In that, this was a film made for me. However, I would recommend that you give it a watch because it is telling an interesting story with characters that make you feel. Have you watched Holy Cow? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Holy Cow, we would recommend to you The Holdovers as it is another coming-of-age story for someone thrust into a responsibility they are not ready for.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Holy Cow
Directed by – Louise Courvoisier
Screenplay by – Louise Courvoisier & Théo Abadie with Théo Abadie & Marcia Romano
Music by – Charlie Courvoisier & Louise Courvoisier
Cinematography by – Elio Balezeaux
Edited by – Sarah Grosset
Production/Distribution Companies – Ex Nihilo, Pyramide Distribution, Agat Films,
Starring – Clément Faveau, Luna Garret, Maïwène Barthélemy, Dimitry Baudry, Mathis Bernard, Armand Sancey Richard, Lucas Marillier, Lorelei Vasseur, Jean-Marie Ganneval, Hervé Parent, Isabelle Courageot & Mélissa Zehner
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: 14a; Germany: 12; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 15; United States: na