Characters
Corbac, our protagonist, is a monomaniacal recluse who becomes an alcoholic after the death of his wife Ariane. A bearded, rugged figure in his late fifties, he shares a special connection with the birds that cohabit his farmhouse, particularly the golden owl Blanche and the crow Lazare. Corbac obsessively preserves biological artifacts such as fossils, feathers and skeletons in the jars that clutter his attic. He is battling an unknown sickness and is psychologically perturbed as a result of his estrangement from his daughter Mathilde. Corbac is stubborn and solitary - he lives on the fringes of the village, and rarely partakes in community gatherings. Corbac resembles Jim Harrison, with the poetic appeal of Michel Simon, and will be played by Sergi Lopez.
Mathilde, the estranged daughter of Corbac, is a bubbly woman in her thirties. She dresses in an 80s’ aesthetic with bright makeup, presenting herself as cheerful and high spirited. Mathilde prefers to live outside the village, keeping a distance from her father’s melancholy. At first, she refuses to meet Corbac, but after the villagers plead for her help, she acquiesces. She determinedly continues her father’s efforts in preserving the whale after his suicide.
Blanche is a small golden owl that lives with Corbac in his farmhouse. She is a gentle and motherly figure who is brooding three eggs in her nest in the attic. Blanche deftly and gracefully swoops through the film’s landscapes, and her premonition of the storm in many ways foreshadows the unraveling of the village’s social fabric.
Lazare is a watchful black crow that lives with Corbac. He keeps a protective eye on the property and often warns Corbac when strangers approach.
(Bernard Blancan)
César, the village priest, is a tall bespectacled man in his early sixties. He is sharp and put together, and his church sermons function as a gathering point for the village to regroup in the aftermath of the storm. Although he tries to stop Corbac, César remains calm and collected, even as some villagers are perturbed by Corbac’s apparent descent into madness. He is well respected by his community,
(Moussa Maaskri)
Raoul is a stockily-built winery worker who lives in a wealthy property with his wife Cathie. He is very quick to anger and grows increasingly antagonistic towards Corbac when his attempts to stop Corbac fall on deaf ears. The epitome of the village hunter, Raoul feels superior to other living beings, and enjoys exercising a fantasized power of domination over nature. He kills Blanche as a nuisance to the village, much like the taxidermied foxes he displays in his lodge
(Thomas VDB)
Toinou is a gawky and disheveled young man, always ready with a tongue-in-cheek comment or a mischievous joke. He views Corbac’s actions with a quizzical curiosity and is the first to aid Mathilde as she continues her father’s work after his death.
(Annie Grégorio)