Shepherds (2024) Movie Script
1
I'm in the south of France.
It's hot.
Sorry I didn't say I was leaving.
I'm staying in a hotel in Arles
in Provence.
I can't stay here long
because my credit card's maxed out.
But I'm not coming back.
Morning.
- Hi.
Mathyas.
- Jean-Claude.
A pleasure.
Here you go.
I'm not coming back.
One day
maybe, yeah.
But not yet, 'cause
my brain sends signals
that slow down my heart, and
I'm scared it'll stop.
Nassim!
Sacha, keep the flat
till the end of the lease.
You can decide if you stay on.
My books can go to any
friends who want them.
To Mom and Dad: I love you.
To the intern:
Julie, I think you're too smart
to work in marketing.
And to
the owners of the agency,
I'd like to say that
you make me sick.
There, I said it. So now I can't ever
come back and work for you again.
Still, I'm sorry to let you down.
The Shepherd's Handbook
The Good Sheep Herder
Guiding Sheep to Highland Pastures
I'll take
these and the knife.
And that sausage.
The knife's handmade.
A real shepherd's knife.
Beneath the truck, and the dog,
there's the shepherd.
And if you don't have a wife yet,
find another line of work.
If he feels the passion
You're a romantic.
In Montral I wrote
slogans for an ad agency.
OK, invent a slogan for me.
The world makes me frown
with economic and climate breakdown
So a shepherd I'll be
My hands will be clean.
Looks good on you.
It gives you color.
Thanks.
That was my granddad's satchel.
Really?
I want to work as a shepherd.
Do you know any employers?
Breeders?
- Yeah, breeders.
They're all at that bistro.
Drinking a jaune.
A jaune?
Pastis.
Right.
- Over there.
A nice satchel.
It's well-travelled.
You see?
Hello, gentlemen
Ladies
- Hello.
Sorry. I'm seeking work as a shepherd.
I don't have much experience,
so an apprenticeship would be fine too.
If any of you need someone,
here's my number.
I'm available
now.
Where've you herded?
I've never herded.
So
you're a city boy here
to play shepherd.
A back-to-nature pothead!
Yes, I am a city boy,
But I'm from Qubec.
I'm Qubcois.
That explains the weird accent.
Why'd you come from Canada
to be a shepherd in Provence?
I want to experience the real thing.
Here, in France, in Provence,
the cradle of pastoralism.
Pastoralism is finished.
Industrial farming has
destroyed everything.
Don't!
- You'll discourage him.
Always the same tune.
What do you want? It's the truth.
Their crap has polluted the grass.
Don't discourage him.
He makes a good impression.
Don't give up.
If you have the passion
and want to work as a shepherd
you have a future.
'Cause there's a huge need
for shepherds in Provence.
You just need to find
a good sheep farmer to teach you.
Passion's not enough.
You also need the skills.
You need the skills.
- Exactly.
You work 7 days a week,
12 months a year.
Does the Quebecer have a name?
Mathyas.
Mathyas? I'll give you a chance, Mathyas.
Really?
I'll take you to the farm
and see what you can do.
Thank you, Mr Richard,
for your trust.
I won't hide the fact
I want to write.
I hope the job will teach me
sincerity and simplicity.
What a load!
No, I
I know the work's not intellectual.
That's why I'm here. For
the reality of the work
of the land, something tangible
How big is your flock?
Between 3 and 4,000. It varies.
The price of wool has tanked, right?
Yeah, wool's not worth much now.
We have to pay people to take
what's left after shearing.
And the council says, sheep milk
You raise Merinos only for their meat?
We never raised Merinos for milk,
just for wool and meat,
essentially.
Help them set up the shearing pens.
These?
- Yeah.
Forgotten something?
The pin, maybe?
Right.
You get a bunch
and put'em in the pen.
A bunch.
Is that the pen?
- Yeah.
The shearers don't have all day.
- I'm on it.
And this?
It's decoration.
Not one, bring me a bunch.
Like this?
Careful, don't crowd'em.
They're climbing on each other.
They're water, look how they flow.
Water?
- Yeah, like a fluid, a current.
Dance. Dance with the sheep.
No, not you.
Dance the flow.
Walk in here backwards. Turn around.
Let them go by you.
Look, they're hot.
Leave'em.
Walk backwards, they'll follow you.
See? They move away.
There, beautiful! See?
You stay on this side.
I'll work the other side.
You have to like sheep 'cause
if you don't, find another job.
'Cause if you don't have the passion
You have to hold the animals
as gently as possible,
so they don't move.
It's really a
It's really an art.
How are you paid for shearing?
He wants to know if
we're paid under the table!
Sneaky devil!
Of course not, you crazy?
But I won't tell you my rate.
It's a secret.
They pay for the best.
The breeders know it.
Aren't I the best?
I saw your skill.
You see?
Impressive.
But above all I'm
a headhunter.
The state pays me
to finger clandestine workers.
Yeah?
- And the breeders who hire them.
So tell me, Mr Canadian
are you legal?
He thought I work for the state!
What an idiot!
I went for it.
And wolves?
Do you like wolves?
- What?
Are you a wolf lover?
You can tell us.
Well, I like'em but
cohabitation with wolves seems difficult.
He didn't say no!
Hey, boss!
Mathyas likes wolves.
- No!
You said so! You said so!
It's my accent.
- Sure.
Mathyas is a bigmouth.
A know-it-all.
But he couldn't tell a wether
from a breeding ram!
A what?
See you, guys.
Ciao.
- See you later.
Mathyas?
I was thinking I could start
by observing older shepherds.
I'll take you to the bus.
I don't have time to train you.
There's a lot I need to learn,
but I'll do it without pay.
No, we're too busy in spring.
We can't carry the dead weight.
The bus comes in seven minutes.
C'mon, get in.
Number 136.
I'm Canadian.
I need a work permit, a PVT.
Did you already apply?
No, I left in a hurry, so I didn't
You have to apply in your home country.
You can't apply in France.
You need liability insurance
or a solemn oath you'll get insurance
if you're admitted.
But I'm already in France.
Can I take the oath now?
And fill out the form so I can work in
farming, which has a labor shortage?
Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
Apply from Canada.
Look,
I've rejected my past life.
Now I'm a shepherd.
I have to work as a shepherd.
It's a solemn oath I made to myself.
You kidding?
It's an existential question.
A stray philosopher turned shepherd.
The civil service is behind in philosophy.
Are you sure you're a bureaucrat?
Yes, absolutely certain.
With all the benefits
Paid holidays, a health plan,
the right to strike, job security.
It's not too demanding
so I have time to read,
and garden.
You're sure you're a shepherd?
I'm sure I'm not going back to Canada.
A civil servant's tip.
Work under the table.
Still, I'd like to fill out a form.
Any which one.
It doesn't apply to
- Still
If you ever feel like talking about books
Goodbye.
See you.
Number 137.
First door upstairs.
- Thank you.
Like a drink?
The same as Jules.
Let me dream
my peasant's passion!
Let me shoot
my peasant passion!
Let me
Let me
Let me sing
my peasant passion!
Say you want to be a shepherd!
I want to be a shepherd!
- Louder!
I want to be a shepherd!
Mathyas?
What?
Telephone.
Who is it?
A breeder.
He was baffled by your Canadian area code
so he called here.
Grard, my husband, has a very bad back.
He needs a strong young man like you.
We're not young now.
We don't have the same energy.
I'll do everything I can to help.
One day we may need someone
to take over the farm.
Grard's dad left it to us.
It's all we know how to do.
And we don't have kids.
I used to keep a garden.
We even grew our own hay.
We were autonomous.
But for some years now,
the soil's been too dry.
We don't get enough water.
And if you have to pay
to get it trucked in
It's not easy.
Here, this is Mathyas.
Hi, Mathyas.
I'm Grard Tellier.
Come in.
We'll have a drink.
I found your gloves. They're here.
Come, leave that.
Is grenadine syrup alright?
- Sure.
Me
I stopped drinking after my accident.
There.
So ours is a farm
that has two sheepfolds with about
1000 sheep Mourerous sheep.
I have a shepherd, Ahmed
but we need an apprentice
for the chores.
There's too much to do.
I'm no good at explaining,
I'm just a shepherd.
Tomorrow we'll show
you what's needed.
The job is
hard.
Very hard.
- Yeah.
Well, you can count on me.
I like to learn. I like to work.
We work every day.
We stop at nightfall.
Sometimes later.
Working like city folk
Forget it.
We should get to bed.
We've a long day ahead.
I'll show you your cabin.
G'night, Mathyas.
Come.
Those damned dogs!
Remind me to give you a gun.
If they act up at night,
you get up and plug one.
Can you shoot?
I guess.
There.
Ahmed tidied up a bit.
It's stood empty for two years.
Still
It's no 3-star hotel, but it's cozy.
It's safe from the mistral,
it won't fly away.
Perfect.
If the gas or anything doesn't work,
just ask Ahmed tomorrow.
G'night, Mr Tellier.
G'night.
It's perfect.
Still here?
Get lost!
Mangy fleabags, beat it!
You dirty mutts!
Hello.
How'd you sleep, Mathyas?
They bleat, but
Soon you won't notice.
Yeah.
I'm Ahmed.
I'm your coach.
A pleasure, Ahmed.
How's the cabin?
Great.
Like in Canada.
Just like Canada.
Tell me,
why shepherding?
Because I like nature.
And sheep
- You can't like sheep!
You're their boss.
They'll walk all over you.
You gotta show the filthy beasts.
C'mon.
Let's get to it
Shepherding is all in the eye.
The shepherd's eye.
Spotting right away the sheep in the flock
that scratches itself
and can infect the others.
The ewe that doesn't eat, or has a fever.
So, I want you to catch
number 48, with the pink spot.
Ahmed marked her yesterday.
She was rubbing herself.
Catch her.
They're all females?
Duh, what do you think?
Go on, catch her!
There, with the pink spot.
Go on!
Grab her leg!
Go on!
That's it!
Shit, I don't believe it!
Grab her like you'd grab a chick.
Then push her over.
There!
Her leg.
Her leg?
Grab her leg. Yeah, go for it!
Good!
You did it!
You rotting old carcass!
Darn!
Jeez
Wasn't easy.
Careful,
don't get hurt.
Mathyas, I don't declare you
or pay your insurance.
Insurance is a waste of money!
Move!
Let'em by!
Do I walk?
- Yeah, go on.
You made them run away.
Back home!
What do you expect, the bitches.
To one side, not in their path!
You push'em, you pull'em.
You don't stand there.
Watch me.
- OK, fine.
I'll teach you.
- Good.
Yallah, go on, you bitches!
Shepherding
I started at 15.
Not by choice. But I learned.
I'll teach you.
And how to be a winner in life, too.
One day you'll say,
Ahmed taught me everything!
I'll show you how to
score with broads.
So, Ahmed
is there a woman in your life?
When the boss pays me.
You pay for women?
Sure.
Where are the women?
At the Bonzai,
a bar.
With trailers in back
where you can go.
On payday we'll go.
I'll show you how to score with broads.
Yallah, c'mon!
Go eat, you dumb bitch.
Go eat.
You see, each time
they have a routine.
They start there.
At noon, there. Then they wander over
and graze there.
When you come back later,
you'll find them over there.
They're resting.
Then you bring them here
and lead them back home.
They circle like the sun.
Here, take that!
Take that, you!
And you!
Move it!
Where are you going?
Hey, pup, to the left!
To the left!
At night,
when my muscles are aching,
I realize how far I've come since
the chimera for which I left everything.
While awaiting the mountain
that will give grass to the ewes
and sky to their shepherd,
I take notes.
One day
I'll write my own Shepherd's Handbook.
Fucking hell!
Make our lives even more miserable!
I don't fucking believe it!
What's the point of breaking your back
for these goddamn miserable carcasses?
Mr Tellier?
Bloody beasts!
Goddammit!
What's wrong?
Scales!
Scales!
Scales?
Mange! Mange, Mathyas!
The sheep are scratching themselves.
Sorry, Mr Tellier, what's mange?
Sheep scab, if you prefer.
A nightmare for a flock!
What do we do?
- They need a needle.
Medicine.
The entire flock. Every whoring ewe!
I'll be ruined!
Send the flock here.
Push'em!
14 shepherds
and not one sheep heading here. C'mon!
Where are you going?
Go on, Mathyas. Grab her!
Push'em this way.
Yallah, sheep!
Bitches!
Over here!
C'mon, this way!
If you keep screaming
You're in the way, Mathyas!
I'll show you, you bloody beast!
What are you doing?
- Stop it, Ahmed.
I keep pushing them.
- Go on, now.
C'mon!
- Get your shots!
Send'em over!
Unfuckingbelievable!
C'mon, get your shots, fucking sheep!
Bitches!
C'mon!
You goddamn whores!
Fine, piss yourself!
Hey, Tellier!
Her intestines are hanging out.
I told you, I work with clowns.
Mathyas, come!
I'll show you how
to slaughter a ewe.
C'mon, we have to hurry.
Or the meat will be spoiled.
This miserable farm is fit for the dump!
What do we do?
- Leave him be.
It's dangerous.
Will he kill himself?
He gets like this.
It'll pass.
Come on.
When do we leave for the mountain?
- Not a word!
Maybe the boss will forget and we won't
spend summer on his damn mountain.
The sheep need fresh grass.
Here it's parched.
The mountain drives you crazy.
It's bad.
Tell me about America instead.
Me,
I dreamed of the States.
If it was nearer Morocco,
by boat.
How old were you?
I was 24.
40 years ago.
Could've been worse.
If the boat had dropped us off in Italy,
ya Allah!
C'mon, tell me.
How are the chicks in America?
America!
Easy now
That's it, back home you go. Yallah!
You fleabag.
You'll be tasty with cumin and garlic!
Go on!
Yallah!
Move!
You're the sheep boss.
Or you'll be a lousy shepherd.
With animals be racist.
Move it!
While not great literature,
the tales of my
adventures fuel a
correspondence with a
bureaucrat named lise
with whom I invent a pastoral life,
one slightly romanticized.
Mathyas,
your letter moved me.
You threw everything away.
It's inspiring, liberating.
I just wanted to tell you, like that.
OK, bye.
Write back soon.
Your letter?
For the stamp.
I can pay for your stamp.
Thanks.
Mathyas, I quit my job.
I wanted time off,
but my boss refused.
So I walked out.
He ran after me, screaming.
But I just shut the door.
I was grinning.
The more I grinned, the louder he screamed.
On and on he went. It was totally crazy.
You have to help me.
This ewe's in a bad way.
Mathyas?
- No, I
Hurry, her womb is prolapsed.
She'll die.
- Yeah, just a sec.
You washed your hands?
So take the pessary
Good.
Now insert the long end into her vagina.
In the direction of
the Father and Son,
push it up to the Holy Spirit.
Go on.
In one go.
In one go
What's this circus today?
God, your lamb is delicious!
Thanks.
But leave God out of it.
Why?
Do you believe in God?
What's God?
God
God is God.
He's the greatest
God's everything. Without Him
If God is everything, He's your roast
the sheep
Not the sheep!
That's a bad example.
No, God is you,
He's me, the floor of your cabin
And the ceiling, sky He's eternity.
Listen,
you have to believe in Him.
If God's everything,
He's also the mangy sheep and dogs
The girls at the Bonzai
Don't make fun.
If He's everything,
there's nothing He's not.
You mustn't make fun of God.
No, we're just talking.
I don't like talking about God with you.
Get out!
What?
Get out!
C'mon.
You cooked a nice roast.
Forget it.
Take your plate!
You disrespect me.
In my own home.
Get out!
Take your plate.
Yallah!
Sorry.
Hola, c'mere.
Ahmed
Mathyas?
The other shepherd
slammed a door.
On the lamb.
What are your plans?
I dunno. I thought it'd be nice
to come see you
as a friend, to go on a trip
Our letters, lise
that was the trip.
Not coming here.
Don't worry, I won't stay.
It's violent here.
You don't get used to it.
Even the sun is violent.
I'll make us dinner.
Is this pasta with squid?
Lungs.
Shepherds get the leftovers
what doesn't sell.
Sheep lung is tougher than squid.
May I?
Sure.
With what they cost me,
I'll teach'em to fight!
Mathyas!
What is it?
We'll show them apes!
Which apes?
Mathyas, open up!
C'mon!
Take that, you bum!
You like that, huh?
I paid a fortune and they
won't mount the ewes!
We'll show those pussies!
What now?
Ahmed, get out here!
What do we do?
- Get in the car.
To go where?
- Just get in!
What'll you do?
Run'em over!
We'll show the bastards!
Are you fucking crazy?
So get out!
Beat it!
What are you doing?
The boss needs you!
lise!
C'mon!
Mathyas!
I'm sorry.
No, Hola. I can't take you.
I can't
Don't hurt her!
Maybe it's all
just dreams.
The mountain
I'm sorry, lise.
Hola?
Join us.
What's her name?
Come sit with us.
Guys, they're having a rough night.
Leave'em alone.
That Canadian shepherd
can't protect her from a wolf.
I manage on my own.
If you need a job,
I know a breeder
who lost her shepherd.
So, Canadian, it didn't
work out with Tellier?
Mathyas, are you done shepherding?
My days of voluntary
servitude are behind me.
He has the gift of gab.
Nassim, pour him a Picon, on me.
For the chick, too.
How long would she last on her own?
Two weeks?
Three weeks. She's proud.
Not on the mountain.
On the mountain, three days and
she's phoning, "Daddy, come get me!"
OK, that's enough.
Sorry.
What the hell?
- Sorry, Nassim. Get boy genius to mop up.
If he causes trouble, lemme know.
You were riding her.
lise, come back.
Can't a guy joke?
- You're a pain.
Me, a pain? She's completely nuts!
Do you throw'em out by force or
You don't think I could?
I dunno, you need muscles.
- I have muscles!
Morning.
- Hey.
Morning.
- Hi.
Hola!
C'mere.
- Hi, Hola!
Good dog!
What can I get you?
A glass of red?
If you want me to puke
on the counter.
Some coffee, then?
- Yeah.
I'm
sorry for last night.
No worries.
It'll make a good story.
Can I change the ending?
Either way,
you'll be the hero.
I shouldn't have come
to that dump.
I get that you didn't
want witnesses.
Your coffee.
Hi, everyone. Hi, Nassim.
Morning, shepherds.
I hear you left Tellier.
I know he's struggling, but
I understand.
I'm Ccile Espriroux, a pleasure.
Are you looking for work?
He's the shepherd.
I need a couple.
My old shepherd left me in the summer.
He got too lonely
on the mountain.
It's in the mountains?
- Yeah.
You have to lead the flock
up to the Alps.
I'm not a shepherd,
but I know the basics.
That works for me,
what it takes above all is passion.
Passion we have.
Anyway, you have a good dog.
So,
4000 euros each for the summer
and my pt and homegrown vegetables.
I have an errand.
If you accept, we leave in 30 minutes.
It's a bit rushed.
We'll talk it over
while you're gone.
Cows and horses
are my passion and pleasure.
But sheep are my real work.
The ewes were just mounted.
Do you raise the rams?
- Never.
Males aren't my thing. I hire them.
26 rams for 800 ewes in heat
We like it rock'n roll!
Look, sweetheart
The shepherd couple.
I found and brought'em here.
With a shepherdess he won't get lonely.
- Exactly.
lise
- Hello.
Mathyas.
Hi, Mathyas.
They're coming to mommy.
OK, gimme a little demonstration.
Lead them to the fold.
Let's do it!
Control the leaders, the herd follows.
Sociology 101.
- Exactly.
I'll take the front.
You take the rear with Hola
from the left, OK?
Here we go.
Good luck!
- C'mon, girl!
That's it!
Good dog!
Go on the left.
Yes, good dog!
Just keep them from scattering!
Hola, come by!
C'mere!
Lie down! Lie down!
They did good.
I've no mountain experience.
But I'm strong and I learn fast.
The mountain will teach you.
You have to persevere,
not lose one ewe
and protect them, rain or shine.
Two herders are far better.
That's for sure.
The sexual poverty of shepherds
is a reality studied at universities.
To combat their isolation,
the state has a fund to hire helpers.
The sexual poverty grant.
It's a reality.
It is!
So you get funding
so you can pay me
so I can provide sexual assistance?
Yup.
That's right.
What about me?
Can I get that grant?
We'll talk about that later,
not in public.
Go ahead and laugh.
Where's your wife?
Your health!
To those grants!
I adore them.
- Yeah.
Should I?
Yeah?
Sure, this one's perfect.
I'm not gonna polish
your shepherd's staff.
No, of course, I wasn't expecting you to.
It's sexist to assume you're the assistant.
I mean,
maybe I should alleviate
your sexual poverty.
I mean, it goes both ways.
- Sure.
Besides,
you're not legal.
So you're not eligible.
Yeah.
You know?
- Yeah.
You're looking for the form?
Going for a smoke.
The form for
nicotine.
Come on!
Come!
They're coming!
Then you mark their side.
Here?
- Yeah.
Good!
11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, 19,
20, 21, 22,
23, 24, 25, 26
49, 50 Mark it!
Marked!
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Done.
Mark it.
What's that make?
Good, they're all here. Bravo.
Ladies, vacation time!
This is where we meet Jean-Pierre.
Here, actually.
You see his route?
He does it in 17 days.
Don't talk to him about hours or days.
No?
- No, no!
Him, it's all about his freedom.
But no one can teach you autonomy
like him.
He'll teach you to manage alone
without anyone's help.
Here, after the ravines.
You see?
After the ravines you veer off.
This is where you'll meet Dudu,
with whom you'll share the route
to the end.
Alright?
- Yup.
You see?
And it's where I'll meet up with you
to bring you food and whatever you need.
Don't worry,
I'll bring absolutely everything.
Hold on, the phone.
See? Each leg of the trip
There are one, two, three big legs,
with villages in between.
Hello?
Sure!
Transhumance is about bringing the flock
to where there's grass.
Because the sheep have to eat.
It's not just poetry.
It's grass.
Like thousands and thousands of shepherds
and herds on this route before us,
we'll walk many days to reach our mountain.
Hello!
This scarf is for you.
It's beautiful!
Want to come with us?
I wish I could.
With this, it'll be like you're with us.
You'll think of me.
You bet. What's your name?
- Genevive.
I'll think of you.
- You're sweet.
Slow pokes.
There's room!
Unbelievable!
C'mon! Let me by! Let me by!
We're free here, with our sheep.
Tina, come on!
Tina!
Come on, get up there!
C'mere, Lima. C'mere, girl!
Move it!
Come, hurry up!
Come!
Come lick your lamb.
No, she's going to the flock.
She has to stay and lick him.
He got separated from his mother.
She just had him.
I think he's lost.
She had him and left.
We can't leave him here.
- Yeah, but
we'll never find his mom.
Is Malika far ahead?
Do you read me, Malika?
What?
I'm on the road near
I'm on the road near the dike.
It's OK, we have his mother.
It's OK, we have the mother.
We found her.
You're saved.
Tell me where to take him.
Here we go.
Hey, Serge, what's up?
- Hi!
What's new, Dudu?
Same old, we're managing.
I know.
My young shepherds, how are you?
lise, how's it going?
I underestimated the effort.
I'm counting on you.
Do us women proud.
The guys outnumber us.
Don't let me down!
Anyway, my ewes look well.
They like their new shepherds.
The wardens said
to watch for wolves.
On our mountain?
No one's seen any.
I got more watchdogs.
Maybe they'll scare off the tourists.
A catastrophe!
I've left your supplies, lovebirds.
Take good care of my ewes.
I want them fat,
ready to bear healthy lambs.
Not eating with us?
No, my hubby's waiting
and it's a 4-hour drive.
Dudu, watch over them on the mountain.
Ever seen a wolf?
Me? No.
But I promise that if I do,
he'll taste my rifle!
Are you allowed to shoot them?
- Who cares?
I don't need a permit
to protect my sheep.
Wolves don't belong here.
Screw the ecologists in their universities!
Wolves are part of biological diversity.
She's joking.
We hate'em.
We're nomads.
We've followed the grass
for thousands of years.
Ecology
that's us
with our flocks.
If they ever fine me for killing a wolf,
I'll hang it from the lamp post
outside town hall.
The sheep remember.
They recognize their pastures.
They're at home.
See the big ones?
The new ones follow them.
Beautiful, huh? Herd memory.
Come fall, you'll have calves like trees.
A beautiful shepherdess!
Here you go
There's your cabin.
Don't get your hopes up.
Folk art.
Look at that
Reading material.
I remember wandering in search of Being,
lost in literary texts,
believing it was to be found in words.
Wrong!
Being is at the summit.
Are you hungry?
Like thousands and thousands
of shepherds and flocks
on this mountain before us
we'll spend the summer minding our sheep.
Until the snow invites us to go
back down to our sheepfolds.
C'mon, walk! Move!
Yeah, that's it!
A bit more, Jericho.
It becomes clearer every day.
A shepherd's life doesn't distinguish
between work and play.
The sheep are our life.
Even at night,
when we worry for them.
And in every moment of leisure,
even during day,
when leading them.
Mountain
will you marry us?
Say yes!
Us, too.
Hey, Dudu!
How are you, hon?
- Good, you?
Hey Mathyas, I brought you eggs.
And hens, too.
Her name's Dsire
Hey there!
That lady warden's coming.
To teach us about
"new realities of pastoralism."
Oh yeah?
Yup.
And y'know
Y'know
she's really
really pretty.
Shall we invite her for dinner?
Nah.
She'd never accept.
So you see, Clothilde,
this is real life,
beyond the state's reach.
You work for the state.
Yes.
Yeah, but Clothilde's different.
We need bureaucrats.
Right.
- And I can tell you
how to get state grants.
If a wolf attacks a sheep, say?
They're not the real threat.
It's climate change.
It needs to be documented.
The springs drying up,
July grasses that grow in early June
as if we'd changed latitude.
But your insurance still
doesn't factor for that.
France got rid of its kings, but now
we're slaves to the bean counters!
If ever we're in over our heads,
we can drown
before the authorities do anything.
Wolves would have to eat someone.
Yeah.
Someone high up.
C'mon, ladies!
We have to go home!
Hola, come by!
lise, do you read me?
lise, do you?
Round up the sheep!
lise to Mathyas
lise to Mathyas, you there?
Mathyas, are you in the storm?
Mathyas, do you read me?
Come on, this way!
Hola!
Hola!
I didn't lose one!
I thought you were dead!
The baker gave me bread and three cheeses.
She wouldn't let me pay.
"For the shepherds."
Nice.
I don't want to go.
Go?
Home.
Who says you have to?
The rent,
bills,
Internet.
I can't use my cell here,
but I still have to pay.
It's up to you.
I can't go back to the office.
I'm sure my boss has barred me.
I'll have to go for interviews,
post on social media
What used to make sense
now it makes me nauseous.
Two smokes left.
I'll have to quit.
I tried to read today.
Read?
What for?
So I don't end up on all fours
chewing grass.
I like you on all fours.
Lucky, 'cause I couldn't read.
Is it a problem?
What, not reading?
Not wanting to go back.
Depends what you're avoiding.
Look at me.
I left, gave everything up,
all in the vague hope of writing a book.
Who knows if I'll ever publish, but
but I'm here.
With you.
And the sheep.
Do you want me to stay?
It'd be selfish to ask.
But I'm asking you.
Want me to stay with you?
What do you think?
Then screw'em!
You can kiss my ass!
Both of ours!
And we don't give a fuck
about your conventions!
We're both beautiful on all fours!
Your shepherd may spend the night in jail.
The authorities who don't protect us
We'll show'em, I swear.
But what are your problems here?
Our problems?
Everything's changed.
We can't work.
The politicians in Paris,
New York, London
sitting in their offices
They're hurting small farmers.
Right when food sovereignty is a priority,
they leave us at the mercy of capitalism.
With all their oil and gold,
when there's nothing to eat,
we'll be screwed them too!
We produce France's crops and sheep,
not them!
What are your demands?
Do something, dammit!
Careful, you're an illegal here.
You have to be legal
to protest illegally?
800 ladies rely on you here.
I'm doing this for them.
Leaving the mountain for the first time,
the part of my brain that stores long-term
memory and guides instincts,
tells me I've created a disruption.
Hola, away!
Away, Hola!
Up until then I hadn't realized that
our bodies belong to the mountain now.
Our entire bodies.
Soul
and organs.
Just like the animals.
Leaving the shepherdess and flock,
a breach opens in the symbiosis
that's developed since the transhumance.
Come on, where are you, girls?
Show yourselves!
I thought Canadians were sturdier.
Where were you?
Don't worry,
he's fine.
The sheep ran off.
I scoured the mountain.
Did you try the salt blocks?
I went there first.
Maybe they went down.
They'd have trampled crops,
you'd have heard.
C'mon, girls!
Where are you?
Higher up.
They don't go up there.
Higher up.
Hola!
What are you doing?
We've no choice.
You'll hurt her.
To stop the pain.
Thanks for everything.
Madame Espriroux?
Wolves
They attacked.
I don't know, a lot.
How many?
Thirty or so.
The wolf
Well, wolves
Several, probably.
They didn't even eat them, just
tore into them, for the pleasure.
Some may still be alive,
but scattered.
We brought down the ones we found,
to protect them.
We'll file a report.
- I'm not going up.
It's Saturday, I'm off.
The numbers of the ewes
that died or that I bled.
Bled?
The dying.
The vultures attack them.
I need proof.
30 ears, with their tags.
Good shepherds aren't attacked.
You should've been with the flock.
We were!
I heard what you did in the pasture.
You wanted a couple.
- With that wolf lover!
The warden?
- She teaches
It's her kind who bring the wolves!
Did you know? And she gets paid!
But what about me, and the sheep?
The wolves are from Italy.
- Write your report or I'll report you!
And you two, grab your things and beat it!
We love the sheep,
we guarded them.
We'll lead them back home.
They need us!
A shepherd doesn't lose a sheep.
Not a single one!
And the wolf hunts.
It's his nature.
Here, some provisions for you.
Will you sleep in the village?
What would we do there?
We'll sleep on the mountain.
I know,
it's unjust what your breeder's doing.
She's not a bad person,
she's grieving.
You were unlucky,
but you're good shepherds.
You cared for them well.
OK, here you go.
For you, for the road.
Together, lise, Mathyas and Hola
continued to herd sheep.
"SHEPHERDS"
I'm in the south of France.
It's hot.
Sorry I didn't say I was leaving.
I'm staying in a hotel in Arles
in Provence.
I can't stay here long
because my credit card's maxed out.
But I'm not coming back.
Morning.
- Hi.
Mathyas.
- Jean-Claude.
A pleasure.
Here you go.
I'm not coming back.
One day
maybe, yeah.
But not yet, 'cause
my brain sends signals
that slow down my heart, and
I'm scared it'll stop.
Nassim!
Sacha, keep the flat
till the end of the lease.
You can decide if you stay on.
My books can go to any
friends who want them.
To Mom and Dad: I love you.
To the intern:
Julie, I think you're too smart
to work in marketing.
And to
the owners of the agency,
I'd like to say that
you make me sick.
There, I said it. So now I can't ever
come back and work for you again.
Still, I'm sorry to let you down.
The Shepherd's Handbook
The Good Sheep Herder
Guiding Sheep to Highland Pastures
I'll take
these and the knife.
And that sausage.
The knife's handmade.
A real shepherd's knife.
Beneath the truck, and the dog,
there's the shepherd.
And if you don't have a wife yet,
find another line of work.
If he feels the passion
You're a romantic.
In Montral I wrote
slogans for an ad agency.
OK, invent a slogan for me.
The world makes me frown
with economic and climate breakdown
So a shepherd I'll be
My hands will be clean.
Looks good on you.
It gives you color.
Thanks.
That was my granddad's satchel.
Really?
I want to work as a shepherd.
Do you know any employers?
Breeders?
- Yeah, breeders.
They're all at that bistro.
Drinking a jaune.
A jaune?
Pastis.
Right.
- Over there.
A nice satchel.
It's well-travelled.
You see?
Hello, gentlemen
Ladies
- Hello.
Sorry. I'm seeking work as a shepherd.
I don't have much experience,
so an apprenticeship would be fine too.
If any of you need someone,
here's my number.
I'm available
now.
Where've you herded?
I've never herded.
So
you're a city boy here
to play shepherd.
A back-to-nature pothead!
Yes, I am a city boy,
But I'm from Qubec.
I'm Qubcois.
That explains the weird accent.
Why'd you come from Canada
to be a shepherd in Provence?
I want to experience the real thing.
Here, in France, in Provence,
the cradle of pastoralism.
Pastoralism is finished.
Industrial farming has
destroyed everything.
Don't!
- You'll discourage him.
Always the same tune.
What do you want? It's the truth.
Their crap has polluted the grass.
Don't discourage him.
He makes a good impression.
Don't give up.
If you have the passion
and want to work as a shepherd
you have a future.
'Cause there's a huge need
for shepherds in Provence.
You just need to find
a good sheep farmer to teach you.
Passion's not enough.
You also need the skills.
You need the skills.
- Exactly.
You work 7 days a week,
12 months a year.
Does the Quebecer have a name?
Mathyas.
Mathyas? I'll give you a chance, Mathyas.
Really?
I'll take you to the farm
and see what you can do.
Thank you, Mr Richard,
for your trust.
I won't hide the fact
I want to write.
I hope the job will teach me
sincerity and simplicity.
What a load!
No, I
I know the work's not intellectual.
That's why I'm here. For
the reality of the work
of the land, something tangible
How big is your flock?
Between 3 and 4,000. It varies.
The price of wool has tanked, right?
Yeah, wool's not worth much now.
We have to pay people to take
what's left after shearing.
And the council says, sheep milk
You raise Merinos only for their meat?
We never raised Merinos for milk,
just for wool and meat,
essentially.
Help them set up the shearing pens.
These?
- Yeah.
Forgotten something?
The pin, maybe?
Right.
You get a bunch
and put'em in the pen.
A bunch.
Is that the pen?
- Yeah.
The shearers don't have all day.
- I'm on it.
And this?
It's decoration.
Not one, bring me a bunch.
Like this?
Careful, don't crowd'em.
They're climbing on each other.
They're water, look how they flow.
Water?
- Yeah, like a fluid, a current.
Dance. Dance with the sheep.
No, not you.
Dance the flow.
Walk in here backwards. Turn around.
Let them go by you.
Look, they're hot.
Leave'em.
Walk backwards, they'll follow you.
See? They move away.
There, beautiful! See?
You stay on this side.
I'll work the other side.
You have to like sheep 'cause
if you don't, find another job.
'Cause if you don't have the passion
You have to hold the animals
as gently as possible,
so they don't move.
It's really a
It's really an art.
How are you paid for shearing?
He wants to know if
we're paid under the table!
Sneaky devil!
Of course not, you crazy?
But I won't tell you my rate.
It's a secret.
They pay for the best.
The breeders know it.
Aren't I the best?
I saw your skill.
You see?
Impressive.
But above all I'm
a headhunter.
The state pays me
to finger clandestine workers.
Yeah?
- And the breeders who hire them.
So tell me, Mr Canadian
are you legal?
He thought I work for the state!
What an idiot!
I went for it.
And wolves?
Do you like wolves?
- What?
Are you a wolf lover?
You can tell us.
Well, I like'em but
cohabitation with wolves seems difficult.
He didn't say no!
Hey, boss!
Mathyas likes wolves.
- No!
You said so! You said so!
It's my accent.
- Sure.
Mathyas is a bigmouth.
A know-it-all.
But he couldn't tell a wether
from a breeding ram!
A what?
See you, guys.
Ciao.
- See you later.
Mathyas?
I was thinking I could start
by observing older shepherds.
I'll take you to the bus.
I don't have time to train you.
There's a lot I need to learn,
but I'll do it without pay.
No, we're too busy in spring.
We can't carry the dead weight.
The bus comes in seven minutes.
C'mon, get in.
Number 136.
I'm Canadian.
I need a work permit, a PVT.
Did you already apply?
No, I left in a hurry, so I didn't
You have to apply in your home country.
You can't apply in France.
You need liability insurance
or a solemn oath you'll get insurance
if you're admitted.
But I'm already in France.
Can I take the oath now?
And fill out the form so I can work in
farming, which has a labor shortage?
Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
Apply from Canada.
Look,
I've rejected my past life.
Now I'm a shepherd.
I have to work as a shepherd.
It's a solemn oath I made to myself.
You kidding?
It's an existential question.
A stray philosopher turned shepherd.
The civil service is behind in philosophy.
Are you sure you're a bureaucrat?
Yes, absolutely certain.
With all the benefits
Paid holidays, a health plan,
the right to strike, job security.
It's not too demanding
so I have time to read,
and garden.
You're sure you're a shepherd?
I'm sure I'm not going back to Canada.
A civil servant's tip.
Work under the table.
Still, I'd like to fill out a form.
Any which one.
It doesn't apply to
- Still
If you ever feel like talking about books
Goodbye.
See you.
Number 137.
First door upstairs.
- Thank you.
Like a drink?
The same as Jules.
Let me dream
my peasant's passion!
Let me shoot
my peasant passion!
Let me
Let me
Let me sing
my peasant passion!
Say you want to be a shepherd!
I want to be a shepherd!
- Louder!
I want to be a shepherd!
Mathyas?
What?
Telephone.
Who is it?
A breeder.
He was baffled by your Canadian area code
so he called here.
Grard, my husband, has a very bad back.
He needs a strong young man like you.
We're not young now.
We don't have the same energy.
I'll do everything I can to help.
One day we may need someone
to take over the farm.
Grard's dad left it to us.
It's all we know how to do.
And we don't have kids.
I used to keep a garden.
We even grew our own hay.
We were autonomous.
But for some years now,
the soil's been too dry.
We don't get enough water.
And if you have to pay
to get it trucked in
It's not easy.
Here, this is Mathyas.
Hi, Mathyas.
I'm Grard Tellier.
Come in.
We'll have a drink.
I found your gloves. They're here.
Come, leave that.
Is grenadine syrup alright?
- Sure.
Me
I stopped drinking after my accident.
There.
So ours is a farm
that has two sheepfolds with about
1000 sheep Mourerous sheep.
I have a shepherd, Ahmed
but we need an apprentice
for the chores.
There's too much to do.
I'm no good at explaining,
I'm just a shepherd.
Tomorrow we'll show
you what's needed.
The job is
hard.
Very hard.
- Yeah.
Well, you can count on me.
I like to learn. I like to work.
We work every day.
We stop at nightfall.
Sometimes later.
Working like city folk
Forget it.
We should get to bed.
We've a long day ahead.
I'll show you your cabin.
G'night, Mathyas.
Come.
Those damned dogs!
Remind me to give you a gun.
If they act up at night,
you get up and plug one.
Can you shoot?
I guess.
There.
Ahmed tidied up a bit.
It's stood empty for two years.
Still
It's no 3-star hotel, but it's cozy.
It's safe from the mistral,
it won't fly away.
Perfect.
If the gas or anything doesn't work,
just ask Ahmed tomorrow.
G'night, Mr Tellier.
G'night.
It's perfect.
Still here?
Get lost!
Mangy fleabags, beat it!
You dirty mutts!
Hello.
How'd you sleep, Mathyas?
They bleat, but
Soon you won't notice.
Yeah.
I'm Ahmed.
I'm your coach.
A pleasure, Ahmed.
How's the cabin?
Great.
Like in Canada.
Just like Canada.
Tell me,
why shepherding?
Because I like nature.
And sheep
- You can't like sheep!
You're their boss.
They'll walk all over you.
You gotta show the filthy beasts.
C'mon.
Let's get to it
Shepherding is all in the eye.
The shepherd's eye.
Spotting right away the sheep in the flock
that scratches itself
and can infect the others.
The ewe that doesn't eat, or has a fever.
So, I want you to catch
number 48, with the pink spot.
Ahmed marked her yesterday.
She was rubbing herself.
Catch her.
They're all females?
Duh, what do you think?
Go on, catch her!
There, with the pink spot.
Go on!
Grab her leg!
Go on!
That's it!
Shit, I don't believe it!
Grab her like you'd grab a chick.
Then push her over.
There!
Her leg.
Her leg?
Grab her leg. Yeah, go for it!
Good!
You did it!
You rotting old carcass!
Darn!
Jeez
Wasn't easy.
Careful,
don't get hurt.
Mathyas, I don't declare you
or pay your insurance.
Insurance is a waste of money!
Move!
Let'em by!
Do I walk?
- Yeah, go on.
You made them run away.
Back home!
What do you expect, the bitches.
To one side, not in their path!
You push'em, you pull'em.
You don't stand there.
Watch me.
- OK, fine.
I'll teach you.
- Good.
Yallah, go on, you bitches!
Shepherding
I started at 15.
Not by choice. But I learned.
I'll teach you.
And how to be a winner in life, too.
One day you'll say,
Ahmed taught me everything!
I'll show you how to
score with broads.
So, Ahmed
is there a woman in your life?
When the boss pays me.
You pay for women?
Sure.
Where are the women?
At the Bonzai,
a bar.
With trailers in back
where you can go.
On payday we'll go.
I'll show you how to score with broads.
Yallah, c'mon!
Go eat, you dumb bitch.
Go eat.
You see, each time
they have a routine.
They start there.
At noon, there. Then they wander over
and graze there.
When you come back later,
you'll find them over there.
They're resting.
Then you bring them here
and lead them back home.
They circle like the sun.
Here, take that!
Take that, you!
And you!
Move it!
Where are you going?
Hey, pup, to the left!
To the left!
At night,
when my muscles are aching,
I realize how far I've come since
the chimera for which I left everything.
While awaiting the mountain
that will give grass to the ewes
and sky to their shepherd,
I take notes.
One day
I'll write my own Shepherd's Handbook.
Fucking hell!
Make our lives even more miserable!
I don't fucking believe it!
What's the point of breaking your back
for these goddamn miserable carcasses?
Mr Tellier?
Bloody beasts!
Goddammit!
What's wrong?
Scales!
Scales!
Scales?
Mange! Mange, Mathyas!
The sheep are scratching themselves.
Sorry, Mr Tellier, what's mange?
Sheep scab, if you prefer.
A nightmare for a flock!
What do we do?
- They need a needle.
Medicine.
The entire flock. Every whoring ewe!
I'll be ruined!
Send the flock here.
Push'em!
14 shepherds
and not one sheep heading here. C'mon!
Where are you going?
Go on, Mathyas. Grab her!
Push'em this way.
Yallah, sheep!
Bitches!
Over here!
C'mon, this way!
If you keep screaming
You're in the way, Mathyas!
I'll show you, you bloody beast!
What are you doing?
- Stop it, Ahmed.
I keep pushing them.
- Go on, now.
C'mon!
- Get your shots!
Send'em over!
Unfuckingbelievable!
C'mon, get your shots, fucking sheep!
Bitches!
C'mon!
You goddamn whores!
Fine, piss yourself!
Hey, Tellier!
Her intestines are hanging out.
I told you, I work with clowns.
Mathyas, come!
I'll show you how
to slaughter a ewe.
C'mon, we have to hurry.
Or the meat will be spoiled.
This miserable farm is fit for the dump!
What do we do?
- Leave him be.
It's dangerous.
Will he kill himself?
He gets like this.
It'll pass.
Come on.
When do we leave for the mountain?
- Not a word!
Maybe the boss will forget and we won't
spend summer on his damn mountain.
The sheep need fresh grass.
Here it's parched.
The mountain drives you crazy.
It's bad.
Tell me about America instead.
Me,
I dreamed of the States.
If it was nearer Morocco,
by boat.
How old were you?
I was 24.
40 years ago.
Could've been worse.
If the boat had dropped us off in Italy,
ya Allah!
C'mon, tell me.
How are the chicks in America?
America!
Easy now
That's it, back home you go. Yallah!
You fleabag.
You'll be tasty with cumin and garlic!
Go on!
Yallah!
Move!
You're the sheep boss.
Or you'll be a lousy shepherd.
With animals be racist.
Move it!
While not great literature,
the tales of my
adventures fuel a
correspondence with a
bureaucrat named lise
with whom I invent a pastoral life,
one slightly romanticized.
Mathyas,
your letter moved me.
You threw everything away.
It's inspiring, liberating.
I just wanted to tell you, like that.
OK, bye.
Write back soon.
Your letter?
For the stamp.
I can pay for your stamp.
Thanks.
Mathyas, I quit my job.
I wanted time off,
but my boss refused.
So I walked out.
He ran after me, screaming.
But I just shut the door.
I was grinning.
The more I grinned, the louder he screamed.
On and on he went. It was totally crazy.
You have to help me.
This ewe's in a bad way.
Mathyas?
- No, I
Hurry, her womb is prolapsed.
She'll die.
- Yeah, just a sec.
You washed your hands?
So take the pessary
Good.
Now insert the long end into her vagina.
In the direction of
the Father and Son,
push it up to the Holy Spirit.
Go on.
In one go.
In one go
What's this circus today?
God, your lamb is delicious!
Thanks.
But leave God out of it.
Why?
Do you believe in God?
What's God?
God
God is God.
He's the greatest
God's everything. Without Him
If God is everything, He's your roast
the sheep
Not the sheep!
That's a bad example.
No, God is you,
He's me, the floor of your cabin
And the ceiling, sky He's eternity.
Listen,
you have to believe in Him.
If God's everything,
He's also the mangy sheep and dogs
The girls at the Bonzai
Don't make fun.
If He's everything,
there's nothing He's not.
You mustn't make fun of God.
No, we're just talking.
I don't like talking about God with you.
Get out!
What?
Get out!
C'mon.
You cooked a nice roast.
Forget it.
Take your plate!
You disrespect me.
In my own home.
Get out!
Take your plate.
Yallah!
Sorry.
Hola, c'mere.
Ahmed
Mathyas?
The other shepherd
slammed a door.
On the lamb.
What are your plans?
I dunno. I thought it'd be nice
to come see you
as a friend, to go on a trip
Our letters, lise
that was the trip.
Not coming here.
Don't worry, I won't stay.
It's violent here.
You don't get used to it.
Even the sun is violent.
I'll make us dinner.
Is this pasta with squid?
Lungs.
Shepherds get the leftovers
what doesn't sell.
Sheep lung is tougher than squid.
May I?
Sure.
With what they cost me,
I'll teach'em to fight!
Mathyas!
What is it?
We'll show them apes!
Which apes?
Mathyas, open up!
C'mon!
Take that, you bum!
You like that, huh?
I paid a fortune and they
won't mount the ewes!
We'll show those pussies!
What now?
Ahmed, get out here!
What do we do?
- Get in the car.
To go where?
- Just get in!
What'll you do?
Run'em over!
We'll show the bastards!
Are you fucking crazy?
So get out!
Beat it!
What are you doing?
The boss needs you!
lise!
C'mon!
Mathyas!
I'm sorry.
No, Hola. I can't take you.
I can't
Don't hurt her!
Maybe it's all
just dreams.
The mountain
I'm sorry, lise.
Hola?
Join us.
What's her name?
Come sit with us.
Guys, they're having a rough night.
Leave'em alone.
That Canadian shepherd
can't protect her from a wolf.
I manage on my own.
If you need a job,
I know a breeder
who lost her shepherd.
So, Canadian, it didn't
work out with Tellier?
Mathyas, are you done shepherding?
My days of voluntary
servitude are behind me.
He has the gift of gab.
Nassim, pour him a Picon, on me.
For the chick, too.
How long would she last on her own?
Two weeks?
Three weeks. She's proud.
Not on the mountain.
On the mountain, three days and
she's phoning, "Daddy, come get me!"
OK, that's enough.
Sorry.
What the hell?
- Sorry, Nassim. Get boy genius to mop up.
If he causes trouble, lemme know.
You were riding her.
lise, come back.
Can't a guy joke?
- You're a pain.
Me, a pain? She's completely nuts!
Do you throw'em out by force or
You don't think I could?
I dunno, you need muscles.
- I have muscles!
Morning.
- Hey.
Morning.
- Hi.
Hola!
C'mere.
- Hi, Hola!
Good dog!
What can I get you?
A glass of red?
If you want me to puke
on the counter.
Some coffee, then?
- Yeah.
I'm
sorry for last night.
No worries.
It'll make a good story.
Can I change the ending?
Either way,
you'll be the hero.
I shouldn't have come
to that dump.
I get that you didn't
want witnesses.
Your coffee.
Hi, everyone. Hi, Nassim.
Morning, shepherds.
I hear you left Tellier.
I know he's struggling, but
I understand.
I'm Ccile Espriroux, a pleasure.
Are you looking for work?
He's the shepherd.
I need a couple.
My old shepherd left me in the summer.
He got too lonely
on the mountain.
It's in the mountains?
- Yeah.
You have to lead the flock
up to the Alps.
I'm not a shepherd,
but I know the basics.
That works for me,
what it takes above all is passion.
Passion we have.
Anyway, you have a good dog.
So,
4000 euros each for the summer
and my pt and homegrown vegetables.
I have an errand.
If you accept, we leave in 30 minutes.
It's a bit rushed.
We'll talk it over
while you're gone.
Cows and horses
are my passion and pleasure.
But sheep are my real work.
The ewes were just mounted.
Do you raise the rams?
- Never.
Males aren't my thing. I hire them.
26 rams for 800 ewes in heat
We like it rock'n roll!
Look, sweetheart
The shepherd couple.
I found and brought'em here.
With a shepherdess he won't get lonely.
- Exactly.
lise
- Hello.
Mathyas.
Hi, Mathyas.
They're coming to mommy.
OK, gimme a little demonstration.
Lead them to the fold.
Let's do it!
Control the leaders, the herd follows.
Sociology 101.
- Exactly.
I'll take the front.
You take the rear with Hola
from the left, OK?
Here we go.
Good luck!
- C'mon, girl!
That's it!
Good dog!
Go on the left.
Yes, good dog!
Just keep them from scattering!
Hola, come by!
C'mere!
Lie down! Lie down!
They did good.
I've no mountain experience.
But I'm strong and I learn fast.
The mountain will teach you.
You have to persevere,
not lose one ewe
and protect them, rain or shine.
Two herders are far better.
That's for sure.
The sexual poverty of shepherds
is a reality studied at universities.
To combat their isolation,
the state has a fund to hire helpers.
The sexual poverty grant.
It's a reality.
It is!
So you get funding
so you can pay me
so I can provide sexual assistance?
Yup.
That's right.
What about me?
Can I get that grant?
We'll talk about that later,
not in public.
Go ahead and laugh.
Where's your wife?
Your health!
To those grants!
I adore them.
- Yeah.
Should I?
Yeah?
Sure, this one's perfect.
I'm not gonna polish
your shepherd's staff.
No, of course, I wasn't expecting you to.
It's sexist to assume you're the assistant.
I mean,
maybe I should alleviate
your sexual poverty.
I mean, it goes both ways.
- Sure.
Besides,
you're not legal.
So you're not eligible.
Yeah.
You know?
- Yeah.
You're looking for the form?
Going for a smoke.
The form for
nicotine.
Come on!
Come!
They're coming!
Then you mark their side.
Here?
- Yeah.
Good!
11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, 19,
20, 21, 22,
23, 24, 25, 26
49, 50 Mark it!
Marked!
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Done.
Mark it.
What's that make?
Good, they're all here. Bravo.
Ladies, vacation time!
This is where we meet Jean-Pierre.
Here, actually.
You see his route?
He does it in 17 days.
Don't talk to him about hours or days.
No?
- No, no!
Him, it's all about his freedom.
But no one can teach you autonomy
like him.
He'll teach you to manage alone
without anyone's help.
Here, after the ravines.
You see?
After the ravines you veer off.
This is where you'll meet Dudu,
with whom you'll share the route
to the end.
Alright?
- Yup.
You see?
And it's where I'll meet up with you
to bring you food and whatever you need.
Don't worry,
I'll bring absolutely everything.
Hold on, the phone.
See? Each leg of the trip
There are one, two, three big legs,
with villages in between.
Hello?
Sure!
Transhumance is about bringing the flock
to where there's grass.
Because the sheep have to eat.
It's not just poetry.
It's grass.
Like thousands and thousands of shepherds
and herds on this route before us,
we'll walk many days to reach our mountain.
Hello!
This scarf is for you.
It's beautiful!
Want to come with us?
I wish I could.
With this, it'll be like you're with us.
You'll think of me.
You bet. What's your name?
- Genevive.
I'll think of you.
- You're sweet.
Slow pokes.
There's room!
Unbelievable!
C'mon! Let me by! Let me by!
We're free here, with our sheep.
Tina, come on!
Tina!
Come on, get up there!
C'mere, Lima. C'mere, girl!
Move it!
Come, hurry up!
Come!
Come lick your lamb.
No, she's going to the flock.
She has to stay and lick him.
He got separated from his mother.
She just had him.
I think he's lost.
She had him and left.
We can't leave him here.
- Yeah, but
we'll never find his mom.
Is Malika far ahead?
Do you read me, Malika?
What?
I'm on the road near
I'm on the road near the dike.
It's OK, we have his mother.
It's OK, we have the mother.
We found her.
You're saved.
Tell me where to take him.
Here we go.
Hey, Serge, what's up?
- Hi!
What's new, Dudu?
Same old, we're managing.
I know.
My young shepherds, how are you?
lise, how's it going?
I underestimated the effort.
I'm counting on you.
Do us women proud.
The guys outnumber us.
Don't let me down!
Anyway, my ewes look well.
They like their new shepherds.
The wardens said
to watch for wolves.
On our mountain?
No one's seen any.
I got more watchdogs.
Maybe they'll scare off the tourists.
A catastrophe!
I've left your supplies, lovebirds.
Take good care of my ewes.
I want them fat,
ready to bear healthy lambs.
Not eating with us?
No, my hubby's waiting
and it's a 4-hour drive.
Dudu, watch over them on the mountain.
Ever seen a wolf?
Me? No.
But I promise that if I do,
he'll taste my rifle!
Are you allowed to shoot them?
- Who cares?
I don't need a permit
to protect my sheep.
Wolves don't belong here.
Screw the ecologists in their universities!
Wolves are part of biological diversity.
She's joking.
We hate'em.
We're nomads.
We've followed the grass
for thousands of years.
Ecology
that's us
with our flocks.
If they ever fine me for killing a wolf,
I'll hang it from the lamp post
outside town hall.
The sheep remember.
They recognize their pastures.
They're at home.
See the big ones?
The new ones follow them.
Beautiful, huh? Herd memory.
Come fall, you'll have calves like trees.
A beautiful shepherdess!
Here you go
There's your cabin.
Don't get your hopes up.
Folk art.
Look at that
Reading material.
I remember wandering in search of Being,
lost in literary texts,
believing it was to be found in words.
Wrong!
Being is at the summit.
Are you hungry?
Like thousands and thousands
of shepherds and flocks
on this mountain before us
we'll spend the summer minding our sheep.
Until the snow invites us to go
back down to our sheepfolds.
C'mon, walk! Move!
Yeah, that's it!
A bit more, Jericho.
It becomes clearer every day.
A shepherd's life doesn't distinguish
between work and play.
The sheep are our life.
Even at night,
when we worry for them.
And in every moment of leisure,
even during day,
when leading them.
Mountain
will you marry us?
Say yes!
Us, too.
Hey, Dudu!
How are you, hon?
- Good, you?
Hey Mathyas, I brought you eggs.
And hens, too.
Her name's Dsire
Hey there!
That lady warden's coming.
To teach us about
"new realities of pastoralism."
Oh yeah?
Yup.
And y'know
Y'know
she's really
really pretty.
Shall we invite her for dinner?
Nah.
She'd never accept.
So you see, Clothilde,
this is real life,
beyond the state's reach.
You work for the state.
Yes.
Yeah, but Clothilde's different.
We need bureaucrats.
Right.
- And I can tell you
how to get state grants.
If a wolf attacks a sheep, say?
They're not the real threat.
It's climate change.
It needs to be documented.
The springs drying up,
July grasses that grow in early June
as if we'd changed latitude.
But your insurance still
doesn't factor for that.
France got rid of its kings, but now
we're slaves to the bean counters!
If ever we're in over our heads,
we can drown
before the authorities do anything.
Wolves would have to eat someone.
Yeah.
Someone high up.
C'mon, ladies!
We have to go home!
Hola, come by!
lise, do you read me?
lise, do you?
Round up the sheep!
lise to Mathyas
lise to Mathyas, you there?
Mathyas, are you in the storm?
Mathyas, do you read me?
Come on, this way!
Hola!
Hola!
I didn't lose one!
I thought you were dead!
The baker gave me bread and three cheeses.
She wouldn't let me pay.
"For the shepherds."
Nice.
I don't want to go.
Go?
Home.
Who says you have to?
The rent,
bills,
Internet.
I can't use my cell here,
but I still have to pay.
It's up to you.
I can't go back to the office.
I'm sure my boss has barred me.
I'll have to go for interviews,
post on social media
What used to make sense
now it makes me nauseous.
Two smokes left.
I'll have to quit.
I tried to read today.
Read?
What for?
So I don't end up on all fours
chewing grass.
I like you on all fours.
Lucky, 'cause I couldn't read.
Is it a problem?
What, not reading?
Not wanting to go back.
Depends what you're avoiding.
Look at me.
I left, gave everything up,
all in the vague hope of writing a book.
Who knows if I'll ever publish, but
but I'm here.
With you.
And the sheep.
Do you want me to stay?
It'd be selfish to ask.
But I'm asking you.
Want me to stay with you?
What do you think?
Then screw'em!
You can kiss my ass!
Both of ours!
And we don't give a fuck
about your conventions!
We're both beautiful on all fours!
Your shepherd may spend the night in jail.
The authorities who don't protect us
We'll show'em, I swear.
But what are your problems here?
Our problems?
Everything's changed.
We can't work.
The politicians in Paris,
New York, London
sitting in their offices
They're hurting small farmers.
Right when food sovereignty is a priority,
they leave us at the mercy of capitalism.
With all their oil and gold,
when there's nothing to eat,
we'll be screwed them too!
We produce France's crops and sheep,
not them!
What are your demands?
Do something, dammit!
Careful, you're an illegal here.
You have to be legal
to protest illegally?
800 ladies rely on you here.
I'm doing this for them.
Leaving the mountain for the first time,
the part of my brain that stores long-term
memory and guides instincts,
tells me I've created a disruption.
Hola, away!
Away, Hola!
Up until then I hadn't realized that
our bodies belong to the mountain now.
Our entire bodies.
Soul
and organs.
Just like the animals.
Leaving the shepherdess and flock,
a breach opens in the symbiosis
that's developed since the transhumance.
Come on, where are you, girls?
Show yourselves!
I thought Canadians were sturdier.
Where were you?
Don't worry,
he's fine.
The sheep ran off.
I scoured the mountain.
Did you try the salt blocks?
I went there first.
Maybe they went down.
They'd have trampled crops,
you'd have heard.
C'mon, girls!
Where are you?
Higher up.
They don't go up there.
Higher up.
Hola!
What are you doing?
We've no choice.
You'll hurt her.
To stop the pain.
Thanks for everything.
Madame Espriroux?
Wolves
They attacked.
I don't know, a lot.
How many?
Thirty or so.
The wolf
Well, wolves
Several, probably.
They didn't even eat them, just
tore into them, for the pleasure.
Some may still be alive,
but scattered.
We brought down the ones we found,
to protect them.
We'll file a report.
- I'm not going up.
It's Saturday, I'm off.
The numbers of the ewes
that died or that I bled.
Bled?
The dying.
The vultures attack them.
I need proof.
30 ears, with their tags.
Good shepherds aren't attacked.
You should've been with the flock.
We were!
I heard what you did in the pasture.
You wanted a couple.
- With that wolf lover!
The warden?
- She teaches
It's her kind who bring the wolves!
Did you know? And she gets paid!
But what about me, and the sheep?
The wolves are from Italy.
- Write your report or I'll report you!
And you two, grab your things and beat it!
We love the sheep,
we guarded them.
We'll lead them back home.
They need us!
A shepherd doesn't lose a sheep.
Not a single one!
And the wolf hunts.
It's his nature.
Here, some provisions for you.
Will you sleep in the village?
What would we do there?
We'll sleep on the mountain.
I know,
it's unjust what your breeder's doing.
She's not a bad person,
she's grieving.
You were unlucky,
but you're good shepherds.
You cared for them well.
OK, here you go.
For you, for the road.
Together, lise, Mathyas and Hola
continued to herd sheep.
"SHEPHERDS"