‘We do not make knockout documentaries,’ explains sound engineer Claudine Nougaret (after spending twenty years with director Raymond Depardon making Modern Life). ‘We are as interested in the slow moments as in the action.’ Twenty whole years documenting the hopes of collapsing farm culture, isolated in the French farmland with an anorexic staff of two, and the result: ninety minutes of ‘the slow moments’. It is a fascinating concept: representing two decades of change with the banter and banality of the characters involved. It doesn’t quite have the same punch as Street Crime UK. There are no car chases, no Paxman-esque grilling and barely any soundtrack. What we are left with is the sensitive, delicate portrayal of a group of people, many still refusing to learn French (preferring ancient Occitan, whatever that is), living the Good Life all Guardian-readers aspire to. Alongside this we are shown the skeleton of the filmmaking: the positioning of interviewees, the drives from location to location. The Gaul small talk is fascinating to watch and a very subtle way of representing the deepening decay of the agricultural system. It is at times very funny and at others very difficult to watch. Throughout the film there is a sense of either imminent humour or imminent tragedy, which becomes all the more engaging through the obvious personal connection that Depardon has with these farmers. It is this intimacy that he attempts to share with us, not just through the drama but through ‘the slow moments’.

As well as this, Depardon brings his professional photography experience to the cinematography, choosing constant wide shots to give a panoramic picture of the beauty of the rural landscape. Through this we are given a poignant glimpse of the nostalgia of the older characters alongside the unchanging natural world. Scenes that go on just a little too long give the piece a distinctly ‘French’ feel, which at times can make us Brits fidgety or at worst sleepy. It is fair to say that portraying a slow-moving subject about slowly-moving people with slow-moving scenes, made slowly with slow music, is in danger of being… slow. However for most, the tortoise-pace will be the key to Modern Life’s charm.

Since it is the slow moments of life that can be funniest and most tragic, Depardon is able to represent a world that is in his words ‘not unlike our own’. If the audience will put up with the banal chatter and the very, very ‘extended’ scenes, this understated feeling is crucial. There is no scandal to Modern Life, and no over-excitement, which is perhaps why it feels so real. If Depardon’s twenty years of personal experience is communicated successfully, even through the small talk of his subjects, the film is a success. Otherwise, if this is a little too much for us action-hungry Brits, it is at least a sweet documentary you can use to put your gran to sleep. Released on 3 April by Soda Pictures.

Words > Joe Bedford