To see at the cinema: 50 years of filming ‘to restore visibility to the world of agriculture’

AlloCiné: Acc Bertrand FarmFor over 50 years, you’ve followed a farming family, or rather a brotherhood. Tell us about this crazy project.

Gilles Perret: It is extraordinary that this farm, next to my house, has been shown for more than 50 years and we can see 5 generations there. It turns out that the director Marcel Trilat came to film this farm in 1972 for television, it was an event in the village at the time! I in turn picked up a camera to film him in 1997 for my first documentary, Three Brothers for Life. For several years, together with my partner Marion Richeau, who is also the co-author of La Ferme des Bertrand, we have been thinking about republishing The Three Brothers. The film was ultimately little seen outside of the region and at the few festivals where it won awards. While we were both thinking about the film’s theatrical release, we thought to ourselves: why not continue the story, since the farm is still there, active, and a new turning point is announced with the departure of Helen and the arrival of the milking robots. …. Therefore, we started a new film project, combining three eras, with an editor from 1997 who knew the Bertrands and their history very well.

Was there an idea from the beginning to follow the evolution of this farm over such a long period?

In 1997 I made this first documentary on a bit of intuition. I didn’t know anything about the world of cinema and I couldn’t even imagine making a film after 25 years! Even if I was already part of the long form, because I was already using images from 1972 to 1997.

You pay special attention to the bodies of these men. You show them young and strong, but also with broken work.

“The hard work of the work” is one of the criteria, says Patrick, one of the main characters of the film. Indeed, we see that the work is difficult, but not only that. If today Andre’s body is broken, and according to Elena, he no longer has a shoulder or an arm, they also show the work that they love and that brings them satisfaction.

The generation of the three brothers really suffered, they did not choose to stay on the farm and had to do everything by hand, they had no capital at first. For the future and the present generation, it is completely different, the profession was chosen and mechanization makes certain tasks easier, fortunately. We hope that the film shows the complexity of the profession without dogmatism.

The elliptical construction – we move from one era to another – offers surprising dramatic effects. Thus we find that death has struck, but if supported, it is up to the viewer to observe.

This film spans a span of 50 years. Obviously, we see people disappearing, others being born, and generations succeeding each other. It is the cycle of life that is at the heart of the film that makes it a universal film that touches people. We measure this every night during presentations in theaters. It’s incredible how the rural world resonates in everyone’s story. We come from there and fill our plates thanks to him…

What comes out of your film is love for a job well done, but the observation is dire: this work comes at a high price. The line sounds cruel: “Hard doesn’t kill.” And the film proves otherwise.

Cinema is image and sound. I deliberately left the scene in the film where Andre says the phrase “work doesn’t kill” when we have his worn body in the image. At another point, Andre has this dire sentence about his and his brothers’ lives: “It’s a success on an economic level, but a failure on a human level.” Their transparency and honesty always encouraged me to be interested in their words and their approach. I have been with them since I was very young and I believe it is important to record their testimonies, a part of their lives, to share with as many people as possible and to restore visibility in the world of agriculture. They and the agricultural world in general deserve it.

Do you think you will continue this family portrait? The new generation is already working…

Obviously, I think about it more than I did in 1997! I took a few more pictures of the kids than we see in the movie so I can use those pictures if needed…but I’ll be 80 in 25 years…maybe I’ll still have the energy to make this movie or maybe someone else will? We’ll see, but it will be good…