Documentary
75 min
Language : french/english
Quebec, Canada, 2015
Production : Jean-Philippe Massicotte

At 15 and 16, Pascale, Raphaël and Céleste are typical teenagers with first loves, first losses and fragile relationships with parents. But they’re also having – literally – a ‘field’ day! That’s because they’re attending high school in a small and unique Eastern Townships establishment that specializes in agricultural trades: La Maison familiale rurale (Rural Family Homes).

Several times a year, they each take off on their own for long periods of time not only to work with a local farmer but also to become part of a farming family. They get to meet back-to-nature diehards like one woman whose cows have won several beauty contests, or a lumberjack who uses horses and has forsaken heavy machinery. Real mentor-apprentice connections develop between the farmers and our young characters. Relationships that are grounded in life and what’s real.

Through the eye of an alert yet discreet camera, Solid Ground follows the unique journey of three reserved and endearing teens as they test their limits, discover the meaning of strong connections and live and learn in synch with the natural rhythms of the land and its animals.