26/05/2021 - The new documentary by the Swiss director depicts the tough life of a man working on a mountain farm

The winner of this year's Trento Film Festival was Cows on the Roof [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aldo Gugolz
film profile] by Aldo Gugolz. In his documentary, the Swiss director shows the everyday life of his protagonist, Fabiano, who lives high up in the Alps under some very tough and precarious conditions. Gugolz told us about his fascination with this way of life, which is threatened with extinction, and the challenges he was confronted with while making the film.

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Cineuropa: How did you come to know about Fabiano and his story?
Aldo Gugolz: I had already visited the Alps for the first time in 1989 with a friend. In 2016, we went back to the area to go hiking. We stopped at the alp [an area of green pasture on a mountainside] and had the idea to make a film about the men who live there. It wasn't quite set in stone at that point. But I was fascinated by the somewhat strange men who come from different countries and live together up there. Six months later, we were going to start the film, and in the meantime, we had learned that one of the workers had disappeared and one of his legs was found in the forest. The story provided a good emotional starting point. Fabiano is plagued by strong feelings of guilt for not reporting the man's disappearance. Nevertheless, the case should remain in the background. Fabiano's everyday life, his wishes and his intentions should be in the foreground.

Was it difficult to convince Fabiano to get involved?
He agreed immediately and was very interested. We told him that he could portray his own situation. But it was also clear that we would not be showing a glossy picture. We wanted to capture what life on a farm is like. In total, we accompanied him for almost two years, visiting him again and again for a few days at a time, spacing it out over longer intervals. Fabiano is the perfect protagonist, since he doesn't mince his words. The only challenge was that he was very introverted.

What was the concept behind the film?
The movie was meant to be made from Fabiano's perspective. Therefore, it was clear that all of the other people who joined in would be shown only from Fabiano's perspective. We chose an unspectacular way to accompany him, but we couldn't leave out the crime-film aspect either, out of journalistic conviction.

What were the biggest challenges?
From a purely logistical point of view, the production was very strenuous. We had to hike up to the alp for three hours each time, with all the equipment. We often had to deal with difficult conditions in terms of the power. On the last shoot, we had to fly out by helicopter and take a small generator with us because at that time, there was no electricity at all.

Then, during the editing, the challenge was to find the right mood for the film. We realised that the allure of the alp and the danger it poses could only be felt when we used images of bad weather. We also had shots with sunny scenes, and those showed the beautiful sides of the alp. But it was only when we took those out that the film worked. We didn't want to make a sentimental movie focusing on the rural background, but rather to show how rough life is there and how thin the line is between life and death, between happiness and unhappiness. Only when it rains, when there’s thunder and lightning, does the true face of the Alps come out.

What impact did working on the film have on you?
I often thought, “Why am I going up here? And not somewhere else?” Fabiano's circumstances made me think. In life, you make a lot of decisions that lead you in a certain direction and down a certain path. At some point, you can't get out of the valley of your own life.

What influence did the coronavirus pandemic have on the exhibition of the film?
It was supposed to premiere in Nyon in 2020, but then the switch was made to online. For me, it was very disappointing that the screening had to take place without an audience on site. It was a very abstract thing to experience the premiere from home. Then the theatrical release was in November in Switzerland, before the theatres had to close again. That cost the film its career. All of the publicity and press work has fizzled out in the meantime. Now new theatrical releases are lined up, and so we’ll have another go.