Bull, 2020.
Directed by Annie Silverstein.
Starring Rob Morgan, Amber Havard, Sarah Albright, Steven Boyd, Troy Hogan, Keira Bennett, Roishaun Davenport, Karla Garbelotto, Peggy Schott, Lee Stringer, Rachel McClure, Reece McClure, and Yolanda Ross.
SYNOPSIS:
In a near-abandoned subdivision west of Houston, a wayward teen runs headlong into her equally willful and unforgiving neighbor, an aging bullfighter who’s seen his best days in the arena; it’s a collision that will change them both.
Around halfway into Bull, aging Texas rodeo star Abe (a superb Rob Morgan) has an encounter with a former flame Sheila (Yolanda Ross), where she reminisces on him only needing someone to be there to give physical assistance or run daily errands whenever suffering from an injury. They probably were genuinely in love at one point, but bull-riding is both a gutsy and self-destructive means of making a living, so it’s only natural for the surveyor half of the equation to up and leave after seeing enough inward and outward pain. However, the sequence also serves to expand on the dynamic between Abe and 14-year-old Kris (Amber Havard impressing in her acting debut), currently repaying breaking into his home and throwing a party with her badly influential redneck friends by cleaning the mess, loading his truck, and helping out on-site at events.
Initially, there is the impression that Abe simply wants her to think about what she’s done, make things right, and try to go forward in life on a less delinquent path. He is certainly empathetic given the awareness that her mom is locked up in a state penitentiary, and that Kris is struggling mentally, even if her quietness and politeness (especially compared to her peers that commit terrible deeds from slinging out racial slurs to pressuring her to sell her body as compensation for damaging some of their drugs) imply a character that would be anything other than a youthful criminal in the making. As the wear and tear on Abe’s body amplify with the largest rodeo circuit in the area of Texas letting him go, it begins to feel that he’s not so much concerned with wising the girl up, but using her as a replacement assistant. Early on, there’s a scene where Abe can’t even get out of bed, requiring Kris to go fetch his crutch from the closet.
Naturally, Kris develops an interest in bull-riding, but co-writer and first-time narrative feature filmmaker Annie Silverstein restrain Bull from leaning hard into the mentor/student dynamic. The reality is that both of these characters are on their own personal paths of inner destruction, with neither handling it too well. Kris is on a downward spiral from feeling unwanted by her own mother (she also tries to look out for her sister but mostly disobeys her grandma guardian) pushing her into wading further into bad crowds and dirty moneymaking schemes (I don’t know the real age of Amber Havard, but she strongly handles heavy material here without flinching, as if she has already accepted that her life is shit and she’s willing to do uncomfortable things to get by).
Bull is at its most engaging when Kris and Abe are interacting with one another, considering the film refuses to settle into something audience-friendly or conventional, sticking to gracefully shifting between perspectives for extended periods at a time. The rest of the film, however, feels undercooked, as Kris juggles her ambitions of becoming a rodeo worker herself with hanging around the local degenerates (which includes someone from her mother’s past). In the grander picture, Kris’ mother is less of a character and more of a plot device to set her on certain tracks. Some of these meandering subplots naturally drag down the film as a whole, but not every segment between Kris and Abe lands either.
For as striking as these performances are (as is the photography during rodeo sequences capturing the line-of-fire danger being in front of these majestically angry animals), Bull is not necessarily compelling and lacks in conflict. Once it becomes clear that both of these central characters are tormented and that they need to find a way to change each other before it’s too late, you’re left waiting for the moment where they either come to their senses or fully submerge themselves in horrible life choices. Bull is a worthwhile debut that could stand to flesh out the supporting cast a bit more, but underrated talent such as Rob Morgan making the most of a juicy role alongside a standout newcomer like Amber Havard will suffice.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, check out my personal non-Flickering Myth affiliated Patreon, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
