Review of Bergers–A film by Sophie Deraspe—July 17, 2025

Film Still of Bergers (2024) by Sophie Deraspe

In April, I had the chance to celebrate my birthday in China by watching Bergers (2024) by Sophie Deraspe at the Beijing International Film Festival. I was particularly drawn to the synopsis: a main character who wishes to leave his urban lifestyle behind in pursuit of a more bucolic existence. I wrote this comment after seeing the film in the cinema. It was an incredible experience, and I highly recommend seeing it tomorrow evening at the Théâtre de Verdure.

(Originally published on July 17, 2025, Montreal, Canada)

Film Still of Bergers (2024) by Sophie Deraspe

"An adaptation of Mathyas Lefebure’s novel D’où viens-tu, Berger ?, Sophie Deraspe’s 2024 film Bergers lays bare the cruel reality of pastoralism against the bucolic backdrop of Arles, Provence. The story follows Mathyas, a disillusioned Montreal ad executive who, fed up with corporate life, trades skyscrapers for sheepfolds in pursuit of a simpler existence. Deraspe unflinchingly captures the physical toll of transhumance—from predawn feedings to bone-chilling storms—yet she frames each struggle within polished vistas of sun-dappled plateaus and craggy ridges, underscoring the tension between idyllic fantasy and back-breaking labor.

As Mathyas endures one setback after another—each failure fueling his simmering rage—he encounters Élise, an immigration officer whose own disenchantment prompts her to abandon her desk and join his flock. Their tentative partnership, scored by Philippe Brault’s hauntingly lyrical music, becomes the film’s emotional anchor, weaving hope and hardship into a single tapestry.

Deraspe’s strategic use of shallow depth of field during the pair’s outdoor scenes strips away the grandeur of Provence to focus on intimate gestures and fleeting expressions, highlighting the universal human desire for connection, no matter how remote the terrain."

— Review written on April 26 2025, Beijing, China