The film Cowgirl, co-directed by Cristina Fernández and Miguel Llorens (who previously released their 2020 joint effort Things to Do Before You Die [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film]), is currently being shot on location in Castellón. It stars Isabel Rocatti (a Valencian actress seen recently in L’àvia i el foraster), Pep Munné (the series Smiley and Money Heist), Carlos Cuevas (the series Smiley, The 47) and Joaquín Climent (glimpsed recently in La manzana de oro [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]).

Written by Rafael Albert in conjunction with Cristina Fernández and Miguel Llorens, the movie introduces us to Empar (played by Isabel Rocatti), a sixty-something farmer who needs Tona the cow to get impregnated if she wants to hold on to her livestock business. After multiple failures and much against her will, she is forced to seek help from Bernat (played by Pep Munné), the owner of the biggest farm in the area, and asks him if his bull can mount Tona. After the cow gets pregnant, Empar’s happiness is short-lived, as she is told by Martí (Joaquín Climent), the vet, that Tona’s pregnancy is at risk and that any form of distress she suffers could lead to her losing the calf. However, Empar is determined to ensure that the animal has peace and quiet at any cost, even if it leads her to butt heads with half the village, including the mayor. Empar will not be alone on her mission: she will have help from Riqui, a young man who arrived in the town recently and has a secret to hide (Carlos Cuevas), and from Bernat, with whom the protagonist will discover that it’s never too late to start anew.

According to the directors, “Cowgirl is a story in which ensuring a cow’s fertility becomes the life goal of a 62-year-old woman who lives alone in a farmhouse in a tiny village in the Els Ports region. Via this simple setback, the film allows us to discover Empar’s life, the complex universe of human relations in a tiny mountain village and a way of life that is intrinsically linked to the soil and tradition.”

On one hand, “we talk about an independent woman who’s over 60 and who lives in the countryside. Women become invisible beings in cinema over a certain age, which is such a strange phenomenon! Despite this situation, in this feature, we will gradually uncover her private life, her conflicts, her fears and even her desires. On the other hand, it’s a rurally set story that offers an extraordinary aesthetic and narrative setting, something rarely seen in the deluge of urban movies that neglect other ways of life. Finally, the story makes use of a supporting and contextual element, which is Tona the cow, who becomes a representation of untamed nature and a metaphor for a world that seems condemned to extinction,” the filmmakers sum up.

Cowgirl is a The Fly Hunter, Aguacate & Calabaza and Produccions Quart production, which sees the involvement of RTVE, À Punt and 3cat as well as boasting support from the Valencian Cultural Institute (IVC).