Edouard Bergeon’s documentary tells the painful story of a couple of farmers from Béarn

Losing his cows overnight because they carry a disease is the anguish of any farmer. While the agricultural show has just opened, cow love publicizes a drama that is often not known to the general public. Before its broadcast on the small screen, the documentary was presented in preview in Orthez (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) in the presence of the Dahetze family and the film crew.

Three years of filming and support

It all started in June 2020. Edouard Bergeon receives a message from Sylvie Dahetze on Facebook. “An SOS” says the director. “Bernard, her husband is ready to give in since he knows that his hundred cows are going to the slaughterhouse” he adds. This call for help obviously does not leave the filmmaker indifferent, whose father, a farmer in debt, committed suicide. A drama that Edouard Bergeon highlighted in 2019 in his hit film In the name of the earth with Guillaume Canet. For three years, the director will follow and accompany the couple, from their descent into hell, when the herd of blond Aquitaine cows leaves the barn, to their reconstruction. His camera films the key stages, the moments of strong emotions. His presence is a real support. “The first time when I met him, it clicked for me” remembers Bernard Dahetze. Over the course of the meetings, a friendship is created. “Edouard is a fantastic person. I think that if he hadn’t been there, it wouldn’t have ended like this. I’m sure of it” explains Sylvie Dahetze.

A salutary documentary

The couple discovered the documentary during the preview at Le Pixel cinema in Orthez, surrounded by their loved one and the director. During the screening, Bernard Dahetze sometimes has trouble holding back his tears, especially when he sees his cattle again. It will have been enough of a single case of tuberculosis to lose the whole herd, health protocol obliges. “It’s hard to turn the page. Grieving for your livestock takes time. Those who have been there feel the same as me” says the farmer. Today, life has resumed its course. The couple bought new animals. Driven by Edouard Bergeron and his documentary, the story of this farming family has a happy ending. “He brought us another look, made us take a step back” concludes Sylvie Dahetze.

cow loveby Edouard Bergeon, is to be discovered on March 5, 2023 at 8:55 p.m. on France 5 or from February 25 on france.tv