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A man wants to do things the old fashioned way, only to learn the potential cost of his own blind idealism in this drama. Johann (Vincent Rottiers) is a man recently turned thirty who is proud, principled and stubborn. When his father died, Johann inherited a cattle farm in rural France, and Johann has set out to work the land, determined to do things the old-fashioned way and not cave in to the demands of agri-business, the banks, or local land baron Helier (Michel Subor). Johann's ideals remain etched in stone even as he realizes his profit margin is tiny and it doesn't take much bad luck to throw him into financial ruin, and while his young neighbor Pierre (Theo Laborie) considers him a hero, Franck (Helier Cisterne), a former farmer who has taken an office job, believes Johann is setting himself up for a painful fall. Things take a turn for the worst when Johann's barn burns down, and he discovers the fire isn't covered under his insurance, forcing him into an economic corner despite his iron determination. L'Hiver Dernier (aka Last Winter) was the first feature film from director John Shank.