La vie au ranch

Director: Sophie Letourneur
Cast: Sarah-Jane Sauvegrain, Eulalie Juster, Mahault Mollaret
France, 90’, 2009, color
French with Turkish subtitles

In her debut feature, which has drawn comparisons to late French masters Rohmer and Rouch, Letourneur insightfully and humorously portrays the seemingly quite happy daily life of a small group of bohemian girls living together on the left bank in what they call their “Ranch.” A tight-knit circle of 20-somethings, Lola, Pam, Manon, Chloé and Jude—all played by non professionals, and all friends in real life—are smart, somewhat naïve, and often temperamental, spending their days drinking, smoking, laughing, dancing, gossiping, and discussing their love lives, until each realizes they must break from the group to pursue their own lives. Part of ACID’s 2010 Cannes sidebar, La vie au ranch was a festival favorite, screening at Viennale, Vancouver, Sydney, Belfort (where it won the Best French Film Award), and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Letourner’s semi-autobiographical first feature seamlessly combines performances from amateur actors, layered dialogue, and real-life cast experiences.