Au Cinema
by Thelma Freedman

The Institut Francais and Metropolis Kino in Hamburg, Germany co-host the annual French Film Days in June. This is an event frequented mostly by native French speakers and Francophiles alike, which makes for a very cosmopolitan atmosphere. Tickets on the opening evening even include a glass of wine!

This year I saw PETIT PAYSAN, a 2017 rural drama starring Swann Arlaud as Pierre, a young (thirty-ish) man whose life centers totally around the farm that he has taken over from his parents. When he realizes that one of his dairy cows is infected with mad cow disease, he is determined to hide that from his sister, the local veterinarian, and the authorities. Pierre will go to all lengths not to lose the cows and his existence and as he steadily becomes more secretive and scheming, the film actually takes on the air of a thriller.