Gay rodeo movie

In , photographer Luke Gilford published National Anthem, a monograph documenting the queer community in the International Gay Rodeo Association. The photographs are arresting and beautiful. Gilford grew up in the Southwest and loved rodeos as a kid. But the culture itself – macho, often homophobic – didn’t include him. Leaving the rural Southwest for New York City and Los Angeles, Gilford only returned to the rodeo arenas of his youth in when he discovered the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA).

His new film, “National Anthem,” follows a year-old construction worker named Dylan, played by Charlie Plummer, who helps provide for his mother and younger sibling. He takes a job at a. The film is inspired by Gilford’s recently reissued monograph titled National Anthem: America’s Queer Rodeo, which documents America’s gay rodeo subculture. In the film’s most emotional moment, Dylan’s alcoholic mother Fiona (Robyn Lively) makes a scene when she discovers that he has taken his younger brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon) to a queer rodeo.

But to the movie’s credit, it stops short of the shouting matches and tear-jerking teardowns of homophobia that other films rely on to generate drama. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.

Rodeos are known for their pageantry. Dylan lives with their mother, a hairdresser who is struggling with her sobriety, and little brother Cassidy. Dylan works odd jobs in construction to help support the family and plays a primary role in taking care of Cassidy.

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They dream of buying an RV and traveling the country but are trapped by their sense of responsibility for their brother. Lingering close-ups and thoughtful silences help the audience guess that Dylan has a rich internal life, but no one to share it with. But we do know House of Splendor is managed by Pepe Rene Rosado , whose family owns the property, and his girlfriend Sky Eve Lindley , a trans woman who dominates the field in barrel racing at gay rodeos around the state.

Dylan is immediately fascinated by Sky, who they first see riding a horse in a beautiful flowy gown. In awe of being befriended by Sky, Dylan confesses to feeling like they are boring. With the encouragement of the House of Splendor crew, Dylan experiences a series of firsts, from trying makeup and attending a queer rodeo to eventually performing in drag and competing as a bull rider.

Dylan hides their new life from their mother, but includes Cassidy, who eventually attends a rodeo himself. Despite the dreamlike quality of the ranch, life at the House of Splendor is not without its complications. The movie avoids tropes of both tragic melodrama and uncomplicated joy in favor of a more authentically complicated story.

The events of the movie are simultaneously fleeting and transformative. And it addresses themes of love, family, belonging, and identity with sensitivity and nuance that make it worthwhile viewing. It also serves as an effective advertisement for both the stunning New Mexican landscape and the community of queer rodeos, both of which are quietly celebrated throughout the film. As other reviewers have noted , the film treats the existence of this community as novel to Dylan, but not otherwise shocking.

The movie itself and the gay rodeos it portrays are part of a long history of queerness in the American West. National Anthem is playing in select theaters and is also available to watch at home via rental or purchase on digital video platforms. This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy , an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture.

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