Paul dans sa vie

May 3 2006 N/A 1h 43m
Documentary

Paul Bedel will be 75 soon. He's and old bachelor, a peasant, a fisherman and a verger. He lives in a farm from another time with his two sisters, also unmarried. This year, they will retire : « Our lives will be filled with emptiness ». Their territory is the Cape of la Hague. The air is bracing, the wind is unpredicable, the granit is rough, and the horizon without boundaries. In here, Paul resisted to modernity, keen to preserve and improve his link to nature.

Plot

Documentary looking at the life of Paul Bedel, a farmer from Auderville (Normandy, France) who is about to retire.'I'm not part of folklore... I'm in my life' claims the 75-year-old, who lives with his 2 sisters. None of them has ever got married. They have instead dedicated their lives to running the family farm.The camera follows them as they complete their daily tasks in the fields and indoors (such as making butter and cider). Paul's remarks and meditations on life - past and present - are at the centre of the film, which also offers picturesque views of the region of La Hague.'Paul dans sa vie' provides an insight into rural life from a variety of angles: historical, sociological, linguistic and to some extent philosophical. Indeed, it shows us how the countryside and its people have evolved over the years - fewer people have been working in agriculture; more and more locals have started working for a factory opened in the 1960s: a nuclear waste reprocessing plant. Paul is one of the last farmers to have stuck to his land in the area. Sometimes the film is subtitled - even for French people - when he and his sisters speak with a strong local accent or use their Norman dialect. Overall, this touching documentary offers a reflexion on different aspects of life - the passing of time, inheritance, the importance of nature, general existential questions, etc. Focussing on the example of a local French farmer, it becomes universal.

Written by

Rémi Mauger

Directed by

Rémi Mauger

Production Countries

France

Languages

Français

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
106
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA