Exquisitely shot, serenely observant doco records the cycle of the seasons on a Swedish farm where the solitary farmer attends to the genetic survival of certain native breed animals: cows, sheep, goats and horses.
This lyrical, contemplative documentary observes the passage of the seasons on a traditional Swedish farm.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2009
Way of Nature 2008
Naturens gång
Veteran filmmaker Nina Hedenius finds something like serenity observing the cycle of the seasons in a Swedish farm where the farmer, Karl Gustav Hedling, is working to ensure the genetic survival of certain native breed animals. She spent a further year editing this exquisite portrait of the animals – cows, sheep, goats and horses – and their guardian who, with his dogs, almost single-handledly tends them. Her camera caresses the animals’ coats, the lay of their pelts, their coloration, the array of a cock’s tail plumes: she seems transfixed by the miracle of so much beauty. Stud iously, without a word, she rejoices in this instance of harmony between man and the rest of nature. — BG
“Man is the only animal on earth that leaves refuse and waste behind. And we freeze the sperm of a few super-bulls to supply all of Europe’s cows with offspring for maximum returns. These are some of the thoughts that have prompted me to look at something that might not be around much longer, but something I want to see preserved.” — Nina Hedenius