This Sundance accepted short follows Kendrick Domingue, a black southern man, as he makes his way through the predominantly white world of roping horses at rodeos in the South. He hopes to one day make it to to the Las Vegas Rodeo Finals. At only six minutes, it seemed like a tall order to show him going from the rodeos of small Southern towns to the finals in Las Vegas, while also developing his character. It became apparent that the short would leave this unanswered question unanswered. He has done well on the regional circuit, but whether or not he will ever make it to Las Vegas is never answered.
I struggled to some degree with this decision by the filmmakers, even though I understand that the time required to create the movie that shows the longer journey to Las Vegas was possibly more than the filmmakers could afford. Still, the character development is strong and the possibility of his success outside the region is demonstrated through his performance at the rodeo in small town Louisiana, so it’s not like we don’t get the feeling that he could make it to Las Vegas. It does show that not all questions that are raised need to be answered in order to have a complete piece.
I love the sound design in this piece! Anybody know how to manipulate noise into that underwater-sounding style we hear just as the calf is released during the competition? It does such a good job of communicating the adrenaline and concentration that comes along with competition.