L'hiver dernier

"Always this land has carried me," says Johann. Snow falls in the mountains of central France and a fire blazes in his eyes as Johann surveys the ranch he inherited. The land lifts him in more ways than one, spiritually as well as financially, but it also isolates him from family and the woman he loves. He is at a breaking point; bills piling up, power cut, insurance that does not pay, and cows still needing to be fed. Johann tells his sister that the land is all he has left. Maybe he just wants this to be true. Sister, girlfriend, bills, cows, the land, dreams, desire for independence, and more tug at his heart and somehow, Johann must find his way through.

Sparse dialogue, ambient sound, beautiful and up-close cinematography that gives one the sense of being a part of the scenery, and a realistic story, allow Last Winter to stand out from the typical Hollywood film fare. Even though I do not have cows, Johann's character resonated with me because the landscape and the natural world make me feel alive like nothing else. I am simultaneously connected to others who are as touched as I am by nature, and isolated from them because the land takes up so much of my thoughts and heart-space that they are neglected, or feel as if they are - I am not sure which - and Last Winter helps me come to an understanding. North American premiere seen with director John Shank at the Toronto international film festival.