''One Man and His Cow'' (original title: ''La Vache'' - The Cow) is a 2016 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Mohamed Hamidi.

Plot

Fatah, a modest, cheerful and optimistic Algerian farmer who has never left his country, dreams of taking his cow Jacqueline to the

Paris International Agricultural Show The Paris International Agricultural Show (french: Salon International de l'Agriculture, italic=no, or SIA) is an annual agricultural show and trade fair, that takes place at the end of February or beginning of March at the Paris expo Porte de V ...

. One day, to everyone's surprise, he receives an invitation to participate in the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

show. He must then borrow money from all of the men of the village to complete his journey. He leaves his wife Naima and his two daughters and takes the boat to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

with his cow. But, having spent all his money to cross the Mediterranean, he is forced to walk to Paris. It is the start of a trip through

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

full of interesting encounters; Fatah finds himself repudiated by his brother-in-law, leading a slightly-too-inebriated village fair, being hosted by a bankrupt count, embroiled in a violent demonstration, is separated from Jacqueline, and finally jailed. Meanwhile, in his village, expectations rise and fall while the local

mukhtar A mukhtar ( ar, مختار, mukhtār, chosen one; el, μουχτάρης) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the muk ...

tries to make time with Naima, Fatah's wife, telling her husband isn't coming home. Spotted by the press, the brave walker and his cow become instant sensations on social media, provoking admiration and a few mockers. Despite difficulties, real dangers and despair, Fatah strives to reach the show in time to enter Jacqueline into the contest for the most beautiful Tarentaise cow...

Cast

* Fatsah Bouyahmed as Fatah *

Lambert Wilson Lambert Wilson (born 3 August 1958) is a French actor, singer and activist. He is best known internationally for his portrayal of The Merovingian in ''The Matrix Reloaded'', ''The Matrix Revolutions'' and ''The Matrix Resurrections''. Biograph ...

as Philippe *

Jamel Debbouze Jamel Debbouze (; ar, جمال دبوز, Jamāl Dabūz; born 18 June 1975) is a French-Moroccan actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer and director. Best known for his stand-up comedy sketches, he also worked with director Alain Chabat in ...

as Hassan *

Ophélia Kolb Ophélia Kolb (born 1982) is a French actress. Filmography Cinema * ''Pink Room'' (2004) … The Girl * ''Valériane va en ville'' (2006) … Valériane * ''Those Who Remain'' (2007) … Jennifer * ''Dans leur peau'' (2007) * ''Gainsbourg ...

as Stéphanie * Christian Ameri as Lucien * Fehd Benchemsi as Samir * Abdellah Chakiri as Mokhtar * Catherine Davenier as Jacqueline * Brigitte Guedj as Brigitte * Miloud Khetib as Hamé Hamed * Karina Marimon as Cathy * Hajar Masdouki as Naïma * Charline Paul as Claire * Thor Schenker as Armand *

Malik Bentalha Malik Bentalha ( ar, مالك بن طلحة ; born 1 March 1989 in Bagnols-sur-Cèze) is a French humorist and actor of Algerian and Moroccan descent. He does stand-up comedy and has appeared in some films. Early life Malik Bentalha studied at t ...

as The young commuter *

Julia Piaton Julia Piaton (born 29 January 1985) is a French actress. She is mainly known for playing the role of Odile in ''Serial (Bad) Weddings'' and Aure Hazan in ''Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making ...

as The young reporter *

Cyril Hanouna Cyril Valéry Isaac Hanouna (; ar, سيريل فاليري إسحاق حنونة, link=no; born 23 September 1974) is a French radio and television presenter, writer, author, columnist, producer, singer and occasional actor and comedian of Tunis ...

as himself *

Anne-Sophie Lapix Anne-Sophie Lapix (born 29 April 1972 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is a French journalist and television presenter mainly for the French news program on France 2. She used to deputise for Claire Chazal, presenting the evening ne ...

as herself *

Élise Lucet Élise Lucet (; born 30 May 1963) is a French journalist and television host. Known for her investigative journalism work on shows such as '' Pièces à Conviction'', '' Cash Investigation'' and ''Envoyé spécial'', she has been dubbed France's ...

as herself

References

External links

* 2016 films 2010s comedy road movies 2010s French-language films 2010s Arabic-language films 2016 comedy films French comedy road movies Films about farmers Films about cattle 2016 multilingual films French multilingual films 2010s French films {{2010s-comedy-film-stub