L'Ultimo Pastore (The Last Shepherd), is an Italian documentary about the last shepherd of Milan, Renato Zucchelli. Since he was 17, he wanted to be a shepherd. He says that he feels free when he does his job, and who wouldn't be. He's got the mountains to himself and his sheep, and a lovely supportive family living in Milan. But the job doesn't come without challenges. With Milan laying down more and more concrete, finding grass for his sheep becomes more difficult. The other angle of the story are the kids of Milan and how nowadays they don't get exposed to animals or know what a real shepherd looks like, and Renato's dream is to show these kids just that.
I really liked the different tones the director, Marco Bonfanti, took us through in the film. It started off comedic, then went into the more serious issues of the job, and then a more emotional ride. The visuals of Renato and his kids walking through the city of Milan with hundreds of sheep were simply stunning. It looked so surreal throughout the film. A beautiful documentary that took me by surprise, and I highly recommend you give it a watch.
