Steve Zahn and Jillian Bell lead Anna Kerrigan’s involving sophomore feature Cowboys, a drama set amongst the rural landscape of contemporary Montana where a father has run off with his trans son into the wilderness after the mother fails to recognise their child’s gender identity.
Zahn is said father, Troy, an unassuming man estranged from his ex-wife following an incident that lands him in jail. He’s a good man, it seems, though is suffering from what seems to be bipolar, managed through regular medication which is always close to had. Following his split with his wife – Jillian Bell’s Sally, and his returning from jail, Troy kidnaps his transgender son Joe (Sasha Knight), and they head off into the countryside for Canada. It is here where Joe is allowed to be who he wants to be. Gone are the dresses, pink cowboy boots and dolls that his mother insists he play with, and in come the check-shirts, iron buckles and shorter hair, the pair of them having their boys-own adventure in the mountains on a borrowed horse and eating from tins of baked beans.
Upon discovering that he child is missing, Sally alerts the authorities, and soon the police, led by Ann Dowd’s local detective Faith, are on the trail of the missing 11-year-old. A slow cat and mouse pursuit of the pair begins with lots of back story scattered throughout, the structure darting back and forth to events leading up to the ‘kidnapping’ at the heart of the movie.
As I said, it is an involving piece, Kerrigan pacing of the movie slow and careful. It feels like what the title suggests; a western, with wandering horses through endless rural countryside, shootouts and two people – in this case a father and son, connecting with one another in the wilds of Montana. Zahn is excellent as Troy, managing to attract empathy as a father, while also managing to make us wince at some of his life choices. Sasha Knight is also superb as Joe, and the both of them have a natural chemistry that beams from the screen – essential for the movie to be convincing. Bell, as always, delights in a tricky role, while Dowd’s quick-to-react detective and her quippy one-liners bring a lot of subtle humour to proceedings.
It’s a slow burn, and it feels it at times – but the film is a short one at just over 80 minutes in length. It packs in a lot though, but there is an unexpected ending which I wasn’t entirely convinced by. That said, with the three central performances – that are exceptional, Kerrigan’s wonderfully told and structured staging, and a heartfelt, and uplifting feel, it’s hard not to be won over by it all.
Cowboys plays as part of the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival.
Cowboys
Summary
A brilliantly acted, ultimately uplifting, sweet drama that manages to engross throughout.
