Shepherds movie storyline. Following a medical wake-up call, Montréal copywriter Mathyas Lefebure (Félix-Antoine Duval) abandons his life in Canada to reinvent himself as a sheep herder in the French Alps. After a rough start, he’s joined by Élise (Solène Rigot), a civil servant tempted by his stories of pastoral life, and together they commit to a summer on the mountainside. Just the two of them. And one border collie. And 800 sheep.
After such films as Missing Victor Pellerin, Vital Signs, and Antigone (Best Canadian Feature, TIFF ’19), Shepherds feels like a levelling up in scope and complexity for director and co-writer Sophie Deraspe. It’s a naturalistic, beautiful adaptation of the real-life Lefebure’s 2006 book, clear-eyed about the messy and often brutal realities of a shepherding life while also allowing us to see the wondrous spectacle that draws people to work on the land.
Duval, most recently seen in Bruce LaBruce’s Saint-Narcisse, embodies Lefebure’s questing nature, working earnestly to gain the respect of his fellow bergers while also trying to find his own style. Rigot has her own quest as Élise, whose impulsive decision to join Mathyas proves to be as life-changing as it is fulfilling.
And while violence and death are an essential part of the natural world, Deraspe’s depictions of such things are respectful and even compassionate… though the closing disclaimer that no animals were harmed still comes as a relief.
Shepherds (French: Berger) is a 2024 Canadian-French drama film directed by Sophie Deraspe. An adaptation of Mathyas Lefebure’s semi-autobiographical novel D’où viens tu, berger?, the film stars Félix-Antoine Duval as Mathyas, a burned-out advertising executive from Montreal who moves to Provence to become a shepherd.
The cast also includes Solène Rigot, Younes Boucif, Bruno Raffaelli, Véronique Ruggia, Michel Benizri, Guilaine Londez and David Ayala. The film was screened for distributors at the 2024 Cannes Film Market, and premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It is slated to go into commercial release in November 2024. The film won TIFF’s Best Canadian Film award.
Shepherds (2024)
Bergers
Directed by: Sophie Deraspe
Starring: Félix-Antoine Duval, Solène Rigot, Guilaine Londez, David Ayala, Michel Benizri, Younes Boucif, Bruno Raffaelli, Nyko, Véronique Ruggia
Screenplay by: Sophie Deraspe, Mathyas Lefebure
Production Design by: Erik Daniel
Cinematography by: Vincent Gonneville
Film Editing by: Stéphane Lafleur
Costume Design by: Eric Poirier
Art Direction by: Jean-Maxime Landry
Music by: Philippe Brault
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Maison 4:3
Release Date: September 6, 2024
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