Seasons (2015 film)

The film traces the history of the European forest from the end of the last glacial period to the present, addressing the disruptions caused by human activities.^[6] Nature is at the center of the film, and humans appear only rarely and very gradually. The perspective is therefore as little anthropocentric as possible. It successively evokes the first hunter-gatherers, the domestication of the wolf, the clearances that wiped out the primary forest, and the development of agriculture. The village, which would form the demographic base of European society for millennia, is recalled several times through views of bell towers and the sounds of bells—also referring to the role of medieval clearing monks. Many species are shown, often in very close-up shots, to remind viewers of the beauty and diversity of European wildlife. Rural landscapes are presented, along with their quality in terms of biodiversity—they have offered many species a good alternative to the primary forest. The First World War is particularly referenced, as it contributed to the disappearance of traditional rural society. The film concludes with an essential question: after having destroyed so much, will humanity be able to create the conditions for harmonious coexistence with its co-inhabitants of the planet?

The filming took place in 2013 and 2014, partly in Ain (in the Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-les-Dombes, on the Retord Plateau [fr], and in Hauteville), in Drôme (Font d'Urle [fr]), in Isère (Vercors Massif), in Rhône (at Courzieu Animal Park [fr], in the Monts du Lyonnais), in Loire (Chazeaux), in Savoie (in Vanoise National Park, in the Maurienne Valley, on the Mont-Cenis Massif), in Haute-Savoie (on the Mont Blanc Massif, in Merlet Animal Park [fr], at Roc de Chère and Lake Annecy) as well as in the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States.^[7]