Totone, 18 years old, spends most of his time drinking beers and partying in the Jura region with his group of friends. But reality catches up with him: he has to take care of his 7-year-old sister and find a way to make a living after his fathers death. He then sets out to make the best Comté cheese in the region, the one that would win him the gold medal at the agricultural competition and 30,000 euros.

​

We’ve seen coming of age dramas from all angles and walks of life but I don’t ever think I’ve seen one about cheese making. Holy Cow follows a pretty traditional road in its story telling hitting the normal markers that you’d expect in a tale like this one. 

​

But what makes Holy Cow truly unique, in part time farmer Louise Courvoisier’s feature debut, is that she is able to elicit truly wondrous performances from her amateur cast. There is a subtlety here that actors with way more experience and a bigger pay packet could learn from. 

​

The temptation with a film like this given that it’s largely about Totone responding to his father’s death and the setting is that of an isolated farming community could have been to have made an introspective and slightly depressing drama. 

​

But Courvoisier brings an energetic enthusiasm to proceedings, infusing the story with idealistic wonder without ignoring the hardship that Totone and others face. This is helped by wonderful cinematography that bathes everything in its sight in a sunny, warm hue. 

​

In their debuts which have to be career launching for both of them, Clement Faveau is transcendent as Totone with Louise Courvoisier bringing an emotional warmth and tenderness to the film. 

​

Warm and wondrous, Holy Cow is unlike any coming of age tale you’ve witnessed.