NZIFF 2022 Q&A: Director Costa Botes on When The Cows Come Home

Tell us about your 2022 Film festival film

 

When The Cows Come Home is about a social misfit who unexpectedly finds the peace and contentment he craves in the company of a herd of cows. It’s really about the idea of ‘home’, and the challenges of living an authentic life.

What inspired you to make this film?

 

Same as always, just a gut instinct. I got hooked in by an interesting character and the promise of something unusual. I went for the cows, and they had a story to tell; but I stayed for the man. His story turned out to much more compelling than I expected.

How has your filmmaking changed during these Covid-19 times?

 

It hasn’t. I shot When The Cows Come Home in the lulls between lockdowns. The pandemic has been no fun but it’s just another problem one has to deal with. I work alone, and shooting on a farm we were more than adequately socially distanced.

What’s the moment you want your audience to remember most from your film?

 

I think that’s something personal to every viewer, and I would not presume to dictate it. There are many moments in the movie that are variously amusing, surprising, or deeply emotional. 

My job is to pack them in there and shuffle them into a meaningful order. The film might challenge some common stereotypes. I hope the dominant impression folks are left with is one of tranquility and inspiration.

  

What’s the last film you saw and how was it?

 

Thor: Love & Thunder. It gave me some giggles, but overall I found it mostly too insincere to love. The one before that was Drive My Car. A beautiful, thought provoking film. More my speed.

What’s the film you wished you’d made, and why?

 

I enjoy other peoples work, but I very rarely think to myself, “oh, I wish I’d made that!”. What’s the point? I’ve developed a few scripts that never happened. 

One was a Kung Fu western, and the other was a fictionalised account of Richard Pearse’s attempts to fly. Life is short and one must be careful not to waste it chasing pipe dreams that are too ambitious to escape the laws of gravity. 

That’s why I make documentaries. It’s much easier to sneak past the forces of film prevention. Once I get the bit between my teeth, then nothing and nobody can stop me. Not even Covid.