The Shepherd and the Bear

(NR) WILLA - 101 min

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DIRECTOR: Max Keegan
STARRING: Yves Raspaud, Cyril Balthasar, Lisa Laguerre, Valerie Daude, Cyril Piquet, Christian Balthasar

Synopsis:

Friday, November 21 8:20pm Screening Hosted by Susan Margolin Q&A with Director Max Keegan Moderated by Omar Mullick.

Saturday, November 22 Q&A to follow 8:20pm Screening with Director Max Keegan Moderated by Su Kim.

Sunday, November 23 Q&A to follow 8:20pm Screening with Director Max Keegan Moderated by Producers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine.

Monday, November 24 Hosted by UFO Introduction by Martha Gregory. Q&A to follow 8:20pm Screening with Director Max Keegan Moderated by Annie Sundberg.

Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, The Shepherd and The Bear explores a conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears in the midst of a traditional shepherding community. The film follows an ageing shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, The Shepherd and The Bear is a modern folktale about tradition, community and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world.

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Current Reviews

JOHN FRANCIS FOX

3 out of 5 stars

INSIGHTFUL VIEW OF THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN ANIMALS & HUMANS

November 27, 2025

DIRECTOR MAX KEEGAN & HIS CO-CINEMATOGRAPHER, CLEMENT BEAUVOIS, BRING US INTO A WORLD OF THE PYRENEES: A WORLD THAT WILL PROBABLY FEEL FOREIGN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE (INCLUDING A LOT OF FRENCH PEOPLE) & THEY HAVE ALSO CAPTURED AN AGE-OLD DILEMMA: SHOULD THE RIGHTS OF HUMANS SUPPLANT THE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS, & IF SO, TO WHAT EXTENT? PERHAPS THE MOST TELLING MOMENT COMES WHEN YVES & ANOTHER SHEPHERD ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW THE REINTRODUCTION OF BEARS WILL ENDANGER THEIR WAY OF LIFE, & THE OTHER SHEPHERD ASKS YVES, "SHOULD WE DESTROY EVERYTHING WE DON'T UNDERSTAND?" THAT POINT IS ALSO EMPHASIZED BY THE YOUNGER MAN, CYRIL, WHO TALKS MOURNFULLY ABOUT HOW HE MAY HAVE TO GO OUT OF FRANCE TO SEE A BEAR. THE MELANCHOLIC SCORE BY AMINE BOUHAFA ALSO CREATES A SENSE OF SADNESS THAT MAKES US REALIZE THAT THERE IS NO WINNER IN THIS SITUATION.

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