La vie au ranch (2009)

Directed by: Sophie Letourneur | 90 minutes | drama | Actors: Sarah-Jane Sauvegrain, Eulalie Juster, Mahault Mollaret, Elsa Pierret, Jade Tong Cuong, Angèle Ferreux, Rafaël Wallon, Sacha Naigard, Vincent Steinebach, Benjamin Siksou, Raphaël Haberberg, Wladimir Schall, Aurélien Dirler, Aurélien Bonnetain, Éric Jolivalt Xavier Bazoge, Adrien Lefort, Philippe Letourneur, Joëlle Robin

Students do nothing but party and drink. They are good-for-nothing, who think they’re great and don’t care about the rest of the world. This clichéd image initially seems to be largely confirmed in ‘La vie au ranch’. The film sketches the life of a couple of young Parisian students who share joys and, above all, sorrows. The base is usually ‘the ranch’, the house that students Pam and Manon share and which has a hint of mysticism about it.

Pam is the most present of the bunch. The one that attracts the most attention. She’s the one who party the loudest, who gets busiest when she’s drunk, who raves the most about her relationship problems, and who has the hoarse, student-like voice. But she’s also the one her best friend Lola can hang out with. Although it is a bit of a guess at the beginning, the mutual relationships gradually become clearer as the film progresses. It is the friendship between Pam and Manon that ultimately seems to be central to the film, without really being emphasized. But when one of them moves out of ‘the ranch’, the obvious friendship you have as roommates suddenly turns out to be a lot less easy to maintain.

During a holiday organized by Manon in the countryside, the ‘real life’ so to speak, some girls, including Pam, show their true face and the group turns out to be a lot less close than during the parties in the city. It is probably recognizable for anyone who has ever plunged into student life. Friendships that you supposedly make for life turn out to be all too easy to dilute. One by one you outgrow the student-like way of living a carefree life (apart from the relational troubles, then) and you have to find your place in society. The film only hints at this, ending rather abruptly as Pam embarks on an adventure abroad.

However, you should not expect in-depth conversations about growth into adulthood. The strong point of the film is that it gives a credible insight into the lives of the students. The game looks completely natural, almost improvised. When you consider that the scenario is written word for word and mainly (or even exclusively) amateurs are used, that is quite an achievement. But as excellent as this achievement is in itself, you’ll wonder who would willingly spend an hour and a half watching the babbling of a bunch of students. You don’t get much wiser from it.