The story of the cow....

This is Stella, she is the star of my movie. When I told my father I was going to make this film, he said, "you're really going to have a problem finding a cow these days".  I didn't believe him. He was right. I arrived two months ago, and it's taken me about a month and a half to find a cow that I feel can play the role of Stella. Sure, there's cows around, but the modern Friulian cow is a far cry from the cows fifty years ago, happily living in the family stall, working in the fields all day and getting milked and brushed at night. No, the connection and dependence on animals has transformed, the animals are now mechanical beasts, mostly unused to a human touch. From what I've seen they live in tight quarters, never go outside, are milked by machines, and if they're lucky, (or not) they'll get some piped in radio music to keep them from getting too bored. So, from what I've observed, farm animals here and in most places I think, have become completely disconnected from people's lives. Cows are basically are food machines -  we don't have relationships with them in the way a lot of people used to. It's a sad thing to see, since it wasn't all that long ago that these animals were part of everyday family life. And so, it's been a lot of looking and learning about cows, to realize one that is used to people, calm, and will let someone milk her by hand is a rare thing indeed. But in a magical serendipity that always seems to happen just when you lose hope, I found an AD who along with being brilliant and talented and a a generally amazing person, is related to a vet. And the vet has led me to Stella. Now we walk her and talk to her and start rehearsing. The sacred animal, la sacra bestia, is getting her 15 minutes too....(and about time!)