Bull

"Relationships are kind of like riding a bull. You hang on for dear life and sometimes you get a little buck here and there but you get back on." Katy Perry

With all the buzz about realty, it's a joy to see real "reality" in a heartening independent film about rural rodeo and rural poverty in Texas without feeling the least bit cheated that you wasted your streaming cash or that you didn't get a full measure of the toughness of riding bulls and the challenge of surviving outside the fences. As if riding a bull were not the most dangerous game in town! Surviving life is.

Fifteen-year old Kris (Amber Havard-a newbie with loads of understated talent) is a sweetheart of a daughter, whose mom is in prison. She's quiet but wanting to learn, especially from 40-something wrangler-neighbor Abe (Rob Morgan), a seasoned Black cowboy who saves riders from bulls in the ring after the cowboys fall: "How do you know when a rider's about to fall off," asks Kris. "When his head hits the ground," responds Abe. Now that's reality.

Although the speeches are short and the action except for the bulls is minimal, a casual feeling pervades of experiencing another kind of world, i.e., poverty and the rodeo, as well as a worthy teen making some bad decisions but riding toward good ones. That she may someday ride a bull or bucking bronco may be inevitable-she's that smart, determined, and able.

Meanwhile enjoy being with her in her low-key world, where even poverty can't put a good girl down. It's a world writer-director Annie Silverstein and writer-husband Johnny McAllister give us in quiet, honest tones (the sound track's country tunes are perfect). Immersing us in other worlds is what movies do. These days streaming VOD like this is a gift and a virus-balm for us extraverts and for exploring introverts.

Reality check: After being caught early on with friends invading Abe's home, Kris implores the cops: "Can't you just take me to juvie?"

Confused as to why some would think this film contained animal cruelty...!!! Maybe I'm not that tuned into "first world sensitivities and problems".

Strong relational film with convincing characters. Harsh depiction of working class American lifestyle - perhaps that's the focus if you do have societal concerns, one should give focus to.

Steady slow burner that will resonate.

Greetings again from the darkness. A film focusing on an unlikely intersecting of cross-generational dead-end lives in a mostly ignored poverty-stricken area on the outskirts of Houston may not seem like much of a pick-me-up during these challenging times. And while it's not a crowd-pleaser, it is pleasing in a high quality independent filmmaking kind of way - especially to those of us who thrive on such projects. Writer-director Annie Silverstein's first feature film was co-written with Johnny McAllister and Josh Melrod, and it never tries to impress with any cleverness or trickery, and instead allows us to wallow in the harshness of a world that has its inhabitants grasping for hope.

We first see 14 year old Krystal (Kris) and her little sister messing with a chicken that's been killed by their pet pit bull in their backyard. The chicken belongs to their African American neighbor Abe, who threatens to shoot the dog if it comes in his yard again. Kris spends an inordinate amount of time taking care of her little sister. They live with their constantly annoyed grandmother while their mom is incarcerated. Jailhouse visits begin with hugs, and end with frustration. Kris seizes on an opportunity while neighbor Abe is gone for a weekend rodeo. She invites her friends over and they raid Abe's liquor and pain pills, and trash his house. The kids all have fun, but Abe is understandably upset when he returns home.

In a show of mercy towards Kris' grandmother, Abe agrees to allow Kris to clean up the party mess rather than be arrested and shipped to juvenile detention. Slowly, very slowly, Abe and Kris begin to bond. She is fascinated by middle-aged Abe's history. He was once a bull rider, and now he's a bull fighter - one of the guys in the arena who distracts the bulls so the riders can escape safely after their ride. His body and spirit are broken, and he's constantly in pain and sore. Kris, a sullen teenager, carries her own pain. Her situation is such that we (and Abe) find it difficult, if not meaningless, to judge her. She desperately wants to be loved and cared for, but finds none of that through her family or "friends."

Rob Morgan, who was so memorable in MUDBOUND (2017), plays Abe, a man who fights to maintain his dignity in a profession more conducive to younger folks, and with a body that continues to fail a bit more with each gore. He has some type of relationship with his ex, Sheila (Yolanda Ross), but mostly he's alone and quiet until he's around his fellow rodeo performers. Newcomer Amber Havard plays Kris, and captures the confusion and hurt with subtle facial movements of an actress far more experienced. The moment her mother (Peggy Schott) lets her down yet again is gut-wrenching, and we feel Kris' pain every bit as much as we feel Abe's pain at the tip of a bull horn.

Ms. Silverstein's film is surely to draw comparisons to the excellent THE RIDER (2017), with its understated approach, and power in the quietness and stillness. It touches on African American rodeos, and provides a contrast with 'white' rodeos, while also showing us the sex and drug issues facing young Kris. With its multi-generational view of life, we see a girl desperate for a role model, and a man coming to terms with loneliness. Kris and Abe prove quite the odd couple as she finds a glimmer of hope in her desire to become a bull rider, and Abe finds a companion and reason to carry on. The two fine performances help us deal with the often bleak daily lives of Kris and Abe, and Ms. Silverstein directs her film in such a visceral way that, as viewers, we are appreciative when the cloud lifts just a bit.

My wife and I just finished watching this movie last night, our main reaction is how realistic it all feels. Many of the characters are portrayed by unseasoned, or even first-time, actors and it all comes across as authentic. Instead of watching actors play roles it feels like I was actually watching real life unfold.

There are two main characters, the first is Rob Morgan as Abe, former bull rider who now works rodeos as one of the guys who distracts bulls and protects the rider after he is on the ground. He lives in a run-down little house and has chickens in the yard.

The second is local first-time actress Amber Havard as 14-yr-old Kris, she lives down the street with her grandmother and little sister, her mother is in prison but hoping to get out soon. It is clear that Kris has little guidance, doesn't pay attention in school, and is easily influenced by the wrong crowd of boys and men. But she has spunk and gradually decides in what direction her life will go.

The catalyst for the story comes when Kris' dog kills one of Abe's chickens, he scolds her, warns that he will shoot the dog next time, and when he is in San Antonio on a rodeo job Kris and her friends throw a party in Abe's house and trashes it. Being a basically good and caring person Abe gives her a chance, if she will clean up his place and continue to do odd jobs to help out then he won't press charges.

The meat of the story is the bond Kris and Abe gradually form, when her mother gets in yet another prison fight and her release is delayed indefinitely Kris realizes she has little chance of a conventional family life, it appears that Abe will become her unofficial adopted dad. And through it all Kris decides she wants to become a bull rider.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. It was filmed primarily in a local north Houston area called Acres Homes, just 4 or 5 miles NW of downtown

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.