In this wonderfully charming coming-of-age film, French director Maxence Voiseux paints an intimate portrait of Gabin growing up on a farm. We follow him from age 8 to adulthood, finding his way caught between his parents. His father wants him to become a butcher, but he would rather work with livestock and finds an ally in his mother. The beautiful Gabin was one of the discoveries of Cannes.
As we follow Gabin from the age of 8 to 18, this feature-film-style documentary is often compared to Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Among other things, little Gabin dreams of breeding a cow to show off at livestock shows. His father would rather see him slaughter that cow, as he wants his son to take over the butcher’s trade on the farm. Otherwise, he’ll set the place on fire. Gabin must navigate his way to adulthood whilst dealing with his parents. A journey that involves saying goodbye. Subtlety is the hallmark of director Maxence Voiseux. Small touches in the costumes and the setting ensure that we see Gabin grow up almost imperceptibly in the delightful-looking north of France. There’s even an abbey involved. One of the lovely surprises in this sometimes moving chronicle of its time.
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Credits
Maxence Voiseux
Nicolas Rabaeus
Henry Sims
Gabin Jourdel
Maxence Voiseux
François Chambe, Martin Roux
Natali Barrey, Pascale Hannoyer
Élise Hug, Cécile Lestrade
Lumière
More info
French
France
2026
