You’re lucky you’re not a cow. One dislocated hip and it’s curtains. The Moo Man is a lyrical study of an English farmer and his cows, showing a way of life that is dying out in the UK, where one family farm closes every day. You might think that 98 minutes in the company of a dairy farmer is not for you, but give it a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I’m not saying you’ll rush out of the cinema to buy a farm, or even a pet calf, but you will have had an enjoyable time in the company of an optimistic farmer and his herd of 72 cows.
Long shots of sunsets and lush rural scenes fill the frame. The palette is the soft, gentle greens and browns of a landscape painting, dotted with the bright yellow of the cows’ identity ear-tags. At least I presume they’re ID tags, though maybe it’s just bovine fashion. This documentary by Andy Heathcote was a surprise hit at the Sundance film festival earlier this year. That alone makes it worth seeing, but word of mouth will soon make it a hit in cinemas and on DVD.
Filmed over four years, this is a film with a simple structure. There is are no voice-overs, no interviews, no talking-heads. Instead the film-makers have chosen to follow the ups and downs of life on a dairy farm in East Sussex. The success of a film so precisely focused is dependent on the character of the leads and Trufflepig Films must have known they had a winner the first time they met the amusing farmer Stephen Hook. He is a sunny guide to the declining business of dairy farming, though the real star is his favourite cow Ida – a Fresian that has lived on the farm for years and has become something of a pet. The herd is still small enough for Hook to have a personal relationship with his cows, giving them names and treating them like recalcitrant children. No doubt he talks to his own kids in a similar way when they are ill, though he probably doesn’t gently reverse a tractor into them to help them stand up.
Supermarkets in the UK pay 27 pence per litre for milk that costs 34 pence to make. We are not told how this situation has come about, but to try and keep his family farm afloat Hook has started selling raw milk direct to consumers. This milk is unpasturised, very creamy and tastes – so we are assured – completely different to the milk we are all used to. The film follows the success of this venture from its beginnings in the farmhouse kitchen to Farmers’ markets and an expanding milk round.
Much of the film has the natural noise of the farm, with moos and mooing much in earshot, but Stephen Daltry has composed a humourous soundtrack that adds to the atmosphere and helps develop the emotion in several of the scenes.
As well as the development of the business, we also see the natural cycle of life on a dairy farm. We get a glimpse of why Hook loves the life of a farmer. Taking Ida to Eastbourne to promote a new milk round is a particular joy to watch, but there is mention of the difficulties of farming life – the threat of TB, the difficult economics that force farmers onto benefits. Who knew that cows had their hair cut?
I didn’t think I had much interest in cows. In fact, I’ll go further than that. I was fairly sure I had no interest in cows. But the director has done a great job of making the viewer care for the animals. I certainly didn’t think that by the end of the film I’d be cheering them on. Support your local farmer, buy local… the film tells you at the end. It should also add Support your local filmmaker, watch The Moo Man.
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