Depardon documents the landscape of the Haut-Garonne region of France with haunting beauty – on the surface it is every inch the country idyll but this is a farming community in crisis.
Most of these charismatic farmers are either struggling to survive or nearing the end of their careers and giving up their farms.
The filmmaker has known and loved these people from previous documentaries, Il Approche and Le Quotidian, which are also from his Profils Paysans series, and consequently the compassion Depardon feels for the land and those who work it is very evident.
Modern Life documents and preserves for future generations a dying breed. Occasionally the farmers and their families are almost too funny and quirky to be true making this footage all the more extraordinary. This is a testament to Depardon’s skill as a filmmaker and the mutual respect he has for, and garners from, his subjects.