Don’t expect a film that romanticises the tranquillity of rural life. In a village in the Jura region of France, days begin with waking up before dawn and are filled with work in barns or travelling along roads in milk trucks, surrounded by unpleasant smells and grime. Nights, on the other hand, often end with wild, alcohol-fuelled parties, as there is no other way to socialise.

Life in the village doesn’t offer a promising future for 18-year-old Totone, but he has nowhere else to go and no real plan for himself. He drifts through life day by day, like many of his peers. Yet, when his father dies in a traffic accident, the weight of running the household falls squarely on his shoulders, including caring and providing for his younger sister, who is still in primary school. With the pressure mounting, he starts looking for quick and easy ways to make money, and his clumsy but well-meaning friends rally around to help.

Cannes 2024

Youth Award