A small mountain village in the Occitaine Alps is gradually dying out, its income and the livelihood of its ageing population only maintained by the summer tourist season. Into this small, tight-knit and conservative community comes a French shepherd, bringing his young family, his goats and his entrepreneurial skills as cheese-maker. Initially he is welcomed, if not with open arms then at least with the sense that his arrival could reinvigorate village life. But the newcomer’s experiences start to turn sour as misunderstandings multiply and the villagers begin to resent the intrusion his family and business cause to their oh-so-quiet lives. Actually a fictional drama but made in such a way that it almost seems like a documentary, this is a very assured, hugely entertaining and thought provoking film about a profound culture clash in an isolated community. By turns funny, touching and infuriating, director Giorgio Diritti’s film carefully builds up the simmering tensions between people in this micro environment whilst making the most of the astonishing mountain landscape for breathtaking images through the seasons.