BFS films highlight distinct identity crises in July
On Tuesday, July 24th, Bozeman Film Society is proud to present The Rider at The Ellen Theatre beginning at 7:30pm. The film stars real-life saddle bronc rider and breakout actor Brady Jandreau as a once rising star of the rodeo circuit warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident.
As directed by Chloe Zhao, a young filmmaker who hails from Beijing, the achievements of The Rider are staggering, including the discovery and casting of the then 20-year-old Jandreau and his family members, all Lakota-Sioux of the Pine Ridge Reservation. As shot by the brilliant cinematographer James Joshua Richards, Zhao gives the badlands of South Dakota a rich sense of place, its landscapes and long-standing culture of “cowboy Indian,” bolstered by the terrific performances from members of Brady’s family and the South Dakota Sioux community.
Based loosely on the story of Jandreau’s own true story of going from a rodeo up-and-comer to an injured cowboy without a cause (and a need for catharsis), The Rider follows this modern-day wrangler as he struggles to put his life back together. We watch his daily routines, his attempts to fit into “normal” society, his late-night hangouts with his friends and his frustrations at having to figure out his second act. (One scene, in which the character breaks a horse, features Jandreau actually taming the animal in real time.) It’s an incredible, powerful reimagining of the mythology of the American West by the young up-and-coming director, as remarkable as it is promising. Rated R, The Rider runs 104 minutes.
Also at The Ellen, First Reformed follows on Tuesday, July 31st at 7:30pm. Ethan Hawke brilliantly plays an alcoholic Protestant minister undergoing a profound spiritual and psychological crisis, in a stunning, enrapturing film by Paul Schrader, one of the American cinema’s most essential artists.
Reverend Ernst Toller (Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future, until he finds redemption in an act of grandiose violence. From writer-director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver; American Gigolo; Affliction) comes a gripping thriller about a crisis of faith that is at once personal, political, and planetary. Rated R, First Reformed runs 108 minutes.
Bozeman Film Society seeks out and presents independent films which engage, entertain, and foster an understanding of the world community around us. Visit www.bozemanfilmsociety.org for film previews, pricing and ticketing information – and “Keep ‘Em Flickering!” •
