Five years after its modern and brilliant version of the play Antigoneby Sophocles, Sophie Deraspe is back on the big screen with another adaptation, but of a different genre from the previous one: Shepherdsbased on the semi-autobiographical novel Where do you come from, shepherd?by Mathyas Lefebure, telling the harsh but beautiful apprenticeship, in Provence, of a Montreal advertising executive converted to a pastoral existence. Played by Félix-Antoine Duval, the protagonist, also named Mathyas, will see his romantic idealism confronted with an often harsh, but nevertheless gratifying reality. Venue unveils Shepherds At the Toronto International Film Festival, Sophie Deraspe talks to us about this superb feature film.
Originally, it was the production house micro_scope (Fires, Gabrielle, The Drunken Birds) who approached Sophie Deraspe after a few years of development with Mathyas Lefebure.
“Reading the novel gave me immense pleasure,” recalls the director and co-writer. “Mathyas is erudite, funny, touching… It’s rare that you burst out laughing or sobbing in bed while reading a novel. And I liked his punk, iconoclastic side, as well as his ability to combine popular culture and classical culture. However, I was very aware that it would be a big challenge to put into cinema. Now, I like challenges, and I knew that micro_scope had taken on several before.”
When I ask her if, from this memorable reading, Sophie Deraspe already had certain scenes from the film in mind, the filmmaker takes the time to reflect.
“The book contains a lot of powerful images, but in fact, I would say that it was really when I made a first location scouting trip to Provence, in 2016, that I began to glimpse the film.”
In 2016, you read that right. Of course, there was the pandemic, but that’s to say how long it can be to complete a film, especially a co-production, here with France. The fact remains that all this time seems to have benefited the film, which displays the narrative and formal mastery specific to a long-matured work.
The filmmaker continued: “It was by going there that this universe became imbued in me. It is such a striking environment, in terms of images and sounds: the way people talk, the sounds specific to a flock of sheep… You see how the flock behaves… It is a particular world. I had an intuition of it from the novel, but it was by being there that I understood to what extent shepherds are people who have chosen to extract themselves from the world — in order to lead a life outside of materialism, sometimes with an anti-capitalist political discourse, but not always. It remains a radical choice, in our time, to become a shepherd.”
For Mathyas, at least at the beginning, this is first and foremost an existential need.
Three phases
Speaking of Mathyas, it is all the more fascinating to follow his journey as we learn about pastoralism at the same time as him, through three key phases. For a first-time breeder, it is not simply that daily life is harsh: there is a latent violence, which is expressed in various ways. The atmosphere becomes insidiously anxiety-provoking.
Then, when Mathyas and a former civil servant friend who joined him in his adventure end up at a breeder’s house, the atmosphere becomes more peaceful: momentary relief.
Finally comes the journey in the mountains, to the mountain pastures… Time for the magnificence, but also for the mercilessness of nature, as beautiful as it may be.
“The scenario is in three stages, yes, but they are not “acts” like I was able to do in Antigoneexplains the director. Mathyas changes places, he perseveres… It’s more of a flow than a reversal of situation. At the beginning, his life project is a dream idea, but which, gradually, becomes part of his body.”
After a pause, Sophie Deraspe continues: “It was important to preserve the romantic dimension of the place, since it is real… I mean: Provence is mythical, the mountain pastures are mythical, and the figure of the shepherd is also.”
In such a context, it would have been tempting to give in to a postcard aesthetic: a trap that Sophie Deraspe avoids. Which does not prevent the filmmaker from infusing poetry and evocative power into her staging, but always in a justified manner, in phase with the journey, both physical and internal, of the protagonist.
An opening, a breath
In cinema, it is often said that it can be very difficult to shoot with children and animals. If there are no toddlers in the Shepherdson the other hand there are hundreds of sheep, several dogs, as well as a hen. Nothing to put Sophie Deraspe off, on the contrary.
“Personally, I find it fantastic. In fact, I look for that magic, which can only come from the unpredictable. I find it important to let yourself be surprised. In the film, there is a lot of wonder that emanates from the flock. The way the sheep move, like a fluid… Besides, taking back possession of the streets with the sheep, having priority over the cars, feels great: I hope that comes across on screen, because we felt it at the time. We defy time, we defy technology, we defy modernity…”
In this regard, Sophie Deraspe says she hopes that, in addition to taking people on a journey, her film will touch the public on an even deeper level.
“Your question about animals reminds me that working with sheep existed two thousand years ago, and it still exists. The film takes us on a journey, yes, but it takes us back to a more fundamental time and things: taking care of animals, washing in a river, falling in love… This story is like an opening, a breath of fresh air… I hope the film will do some good.”
The movie Shepherds will be released on November 15. François Lévesque is in Toronto thanks in part to the support of Telefilm Canada.