Bull

14 year old Kris and her younger sister live with their grandmother since their mother is in prison. Her neighbor Abe is a black rodeo cowboy struggling to stay on the circuit despite suffering injuries. He comes home to find Kris had trashed his place with a party. He reluctantly agrees to allow her to work as compensation. Her mother tells her about a plan to buy a double-wide to reunite with the family. They need $3k which they don't have but Kris intends to get it.

I really like these characters who are the stuck in the trash heaps of society. I like Abe's quiet dignity and his self-reliance. Their initial connection is great. He's looking around scared as the little girl is screaming for help. It all has the feel of reality including the girl's low energy quiet performance. The only problem arises in the climatic scene where I had hoped that she could raise her energy output to punch an exclamation point in her performance. She's not really an actual actress. She's only a kid. That's why I like her in the first place.

Some say this film is slow, I say it takes the time to envelope you in the characters and environment. It gives you the space to understand the players and develop your own opinion of them as it goes. Each character is very distinct except Crystal, who is developing and burgeoning. She knows her world is limited but also knows she needs to do something to make a life for herself. It reminds me a little of Winter's Bone, although the lead actor isn't quite as impressive as Jennifer Lawrence, she does hold you engaged as her story plays out. You can't help but feel sympathy for her but also recognise her stoic resolve. It's a matter of fact film with a positive view of the world. I loved it.

There is a good story here, though by the end we wonder exactly how it will be resolved. Will there be more? No, that's where it ends. We are left to wonder what happened next.

There are no easy solutions, but over time, it appears progress is being made, even with many obstacles. The story could have been told differently, with a more inspirational message, but this is what someone chose to do. We want to see everyone's lives get better. What we mostly see is small victories. Life is hard for everyone and that's just how it's going to be.

Most of the acting is really good. The African American characters seem realistic, with a way of speaking that seems authentic but not racist.

The bull riding looks dangerous.

Rob Morgan is really good, sometimes compassionate, sometimes demanding, sometimes quite angry. But his character has a hard life and he just keeps pushing, with alcohol and prescription drugs to help. At least I think he is using legal drugs, legally. And maybe he has faith (crosses are painted on his cheeks at events, and a cross is on his wall). However, he is never really a loser or a bum. If he's in pain, he just has to do what is needed to keep going. And he at least starts the process of turning a young girl into a bull rider.

Amber Havard is good but not great. She's an ordinary girl rather than an inspiration, and that's fine. We've all seen plenty of inspiring stories. This film is more about a relationship that develops, and she does a capable job of showing that.

Troy Anthony Hogan reminds me of someone, but mostly he just seems real. I'm not really sure what his job is. People like his food and young bull riders train at his place.

Sara Allbright, as a prisoner, is always smiling, no matter what, and seems determined to succeed, but like everyone else, she must face obstacles.

Steven Boyd isn't really a bad guy, but just someone who has to do what is needed to get by. Maybe some won't like what he does (I can probably say it's illegal) but he is nice enough. Not quite a stereotype.

Family friendly? A lot of words were missing. Abe drinks. The grandmother is bitter and uncaring. Drugs are used in a few scenes. Most drug use, however, seems legal and justified. There is a Christian message at times but it's pretty much limited to what I will call Black rodeo, smaller events which are not the ones that make Abe his real money.

If you're looking for excitement, there is some from time to time. But maybe it's better not to expect too much, and just be pleased with what is accomplished.

Bull is the debut feature film of Annie Silverstein. She has come a long way from being a youth program coordinator to a Cannes Film Festival nominee. In 2014, she presented her short film Skunk in Cannes. The director has now returned with the premiere of her new movie in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

In the movie Bull, Annie Silverstein once again shows us provincial America where everything is too straightforward, too obvious and too cruel. The film is set on the outskirts of Houston, in a small town with its weirdos and losers. The town itself conforms to all our stereotypes, as we see dilapidated ranchos, outdated entertainment and people who can't give up their habits.

The given film is not about overwhelming victories or frantic attempts to reach ambitious goals. It is about the world where there are no prospects, but people are stubbornly trying to find them.

Kris, a teenager whose mother serves her sentence in prison, does not have any future expectations. She lives with a sick, authoritative grandmother, a little sister and a dog that strangles chickens in the neighborhood.

The girl is not like her peers, her thoughts are too mature. Even when she tries to blend in, it turns out to be a disaster, as she becomes the person she does not want to be.

She has no life she could dream of. Kris sees no way out of her mother's confinement and her own helplessness. At the age of 14 she strives to be better and older looking for the opportunities to earn money to provide for herself.

And the girl does grow older, but performing the deeds she is ashamed of, doing something that makes her get out of her comfort zone.

On the other hand, we see Abe, a former rodeo cowboy. He cannot quit his job, as it is a job of his life; even after giving up his career he keeps distracting bulls from other cowboys. He is the man who the life of a jockey depends on after an angry bull has flung its rider off.

Bull or horse rodeos are common pastime in the east of the United States. Entrance fee to such events ranges from $ 5 to $ 20 and the events themselves attract crowds of people. Modern animal rights activists have many arguments against holding the rodeos. Yet, what else can you do to enjoy yourself in a small town where the only thing you look out for is the lives of others? How can you stop participating in rodeos if they mean the world to you, they have become your universe? As soon as you go beyond it, you will die. Therefore, it is much easier to endure financial hardship, suffer from pain and fatigue than change something.

Abe's body resembles the body of a martyr. The way he treats it reminds us of unconscious self-torture. He does not seem to have enough willpower or motivation to start all over again.

At first glance, it may appear that the characters of the film are held hostage by the situation. In order to get out of the gulf of doubts, they have to make the right choice answering a number of questions - what, when, why... do we have to do anything at all?

All throughout the film, every single choice the characters make changes them dramatically. What is better - to get into a juvenile colony or apologize? Win your love back or persist in self-destruction?

Kris and Abe, seemingly incompatible people (at first sight), are drawn to each other like magnets. In the films, as well as in real life, it is not infrequent to encounter plots which revolve around people who find each other, 'break' each other and then 'mend'. The story which unfolds in Bull is a vivid example. In the beginning, you would not dare to say that these two can have something in common; you would not consider them to be capable of teaching each other, giving and receiving something in return.

Unexpectedly, though, the main heroes realize that there is somebody they can count on. The care they take of each other is manifested either in loyal support or complete inaction - unassuming and silent, but at the same time firm in spite of the mistakes and insults which were made either by themselves or others.

The characters bombard others with their problems, hurt everybody around while trying to assert themselves. Being indifferent, they rarely think about the people who surround them. Under such circumstances true friends are found and great trust is gained.

Despite the disappointment (be it with life, with yourself or each other), Kris and Abe have found people who do care. For them rodeo is not just about money. It is the desire to start everything from scratch or support the existing tradition. It turns into the confrontation, the struggle against the circumstances and themselves.

There are no goodies or baddies in the given movie. As a result, we do not feel too much sympathy for the heroes. The setting of the film does not allow us to forget that we are told the story of people who could live at any time and in any society. They are lonely, lost and rejected by others. Some might even call them narrow-minded. Still, together they are able to build a real life. The sense of unity empowers them so that they can sail against the wind.

They learn not to rush to battle, but play a waiting game. In life, as in bull rodeo, you have to take a break once in a while. After fate has taken its hand in your life rewarding you with numerous bruises, it thinks it has won as you are too weak to fight. Yet, the very moment it loses vigilance, we know who the game will be finally won by.

After all, everyone deserves a little happiness.

It appears that a few "critics" are bothered by the fact that this isn't a fast paced action thriller directed by Michael Bay. "What! No transforming aliens looking to protect Shia from Megatron?" If you're a 15 yr old looking for an alien invasion flick, go elsewhere. If you're a mature adult who appreciates a good story, keep reading.

The plot evolves at just the right tempo to keep you engaged but not so much that you lose sight of the character development unfolding from the opening credits. Crystal's milieu makes it easy to sympathize with her character but it's done so naturally rather than the more contrived methods you might be used to in larger commercially produced films. The ending seems non-traditional and pedestrian but only to those who are used to a cowboy riding off into the sunset. This movie is authentic, raw, and original, and I would watch again.