- Actors: Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Dronne, Ellora Torchia, Antoine Chappey, François Damiens
- Director: Thomas Bidegain
- Producer: Alain Attal
- Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: French
- Subtitles: English
- Dubbed: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: October 11, 2016
- Run Time: 105 minutes
I can usually
anticipate how I am going to feel about a movie after the first twenty-minutes.
Most films follows such predictable structures that few surprises are found
beyond the establishing act, but Les
Cowboys had my head spinning with its unconventional approach to
storytelling. The result was a viewing experience that was often
disorientating, though ultimately rewarding. The definitive question remains
though; did I enjoy the film in spite of the convoluted narrative, or because
of it?
Many have made
comparisons between this film and the classic western, The Searchers, which certainly gives the ending of Les Cowboys added significance. There is
one major difference between the two films, however. While The Searchers is about the hunt for a girl taken by Native American
Indians, Les Cowboys is about a young
woman who runs away from home in order to become a Muslim. The film is about
the search for this missing girl, though the twists and turns of this hunt
leads to many opportunities for discussion about modern issues of immigration
and the social climate in France.
Les Cowboys begins with a country
western ho-down in the most unlikely of places, a vast prairie in the east of France.
Alain (François Damiens) is performing a country song when his daughter
suddenly disappears from the party, leading to obsessive attempts to solve the
mystery. The search begins with Alain, but his perilous approach doesn’t garner
any concrete results, and eventually his young son grows up and takes over in
the effort. Kid (Finnegan Oldfield) eventually takes on his father’s mission,
searching for answers about his sister after years of silence. At a certain
point, it becomes unclear what they are even searching for.
As they discover
that the girl has run away with her Muslim boyfriend, whose existence was a
mystery to her entire family, the film becomes entangled in ideas of prejudice
and bigotry. And the irony of these hateful assumptions is that they are forced
into countenance as father and son submerges with in the very people they
blame. The biggest difference lies in their approach, and can be seen in their
success. Even if the commentary is not always completely clear, and the
narrative offers no neat solutions, the film starts a discussion worth having.
The Blu-ray
release includes a making-of featurette and the theatrical trailer. Although
not all of the film resembles a classic western, there are a few moments of
typical horseback traveling along expansive landscapes. These are the moments
which make the high definition presentation of the Blu-ray worthwhile.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 3.5/10
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