Aarcflick

At exactly 90 minutes long, "Holy Cow," Louise Courvoisier's feature debut, doesn't give itself much leeway. The film gives the impression that a local is driving (and it is), hurtling down a French country road at uncomfortable speeds. The plot of the Death of the Father, a Found Family, conversations about youth, substance abuse, and aimlessness are presented, as well as romance, class struggle, and cheese. Each has a sprawling plot, but they aren't given time to mature, much like protagonist Totone (played by Clement Faveau) and his cheese. This is, without a doubt, the story of Totone, the 18-year-old young man living in the Jura region of France. In my native Turkish, we call boys his age "crazy," and that suits Totone perfectly. He drinks, he flirts, he dares to expose himself naked at a village fair—all of which are inexplicable. He's a carefree drifter, pretty sure that's all life has to offer. Determined to be nothing like his father, a ...