Most of us don't know about the urban cowboys who ride their horses around Philly, a real life group of mostly Black horse riders who live in the heart of Philadelphia and oppose the gentrification that city, like so many others, is seeing. If you, like me, had no idea about them, I recommend you read up on them. Director Staub's film, Concrete Cowboy, features a fiction story set amongst these modern horsemen and gives us some insight into their unique piece of Americana.
Concrete Cowboy at its heart is a story of a father and a son, each struggling with the America they are born into and the limits of what that offers them. Each making what they can of it. In that way the story is more universal, the need for connection, for roots, for community. But in the way it focuses on the very Black urban experience, and the even more so in the context of this special community, it becomes about something truly special.
Sure the story itself isn't very surprising. It pretty much goes exactly in the direction you would expect it to. And director Staub's approach isn't overly radical either. He lays out the story in a fairly straightforward manner, hitting all those story beats that one would expect. But he shoots his film in a soft lit style that makes it warm and beautiful to look at. The film is quite gorgeous, and the pacing, lyrical and sensitive, lets this tale, one we've mostly seen before, wash over us in a beautiful manner. He also centres his actors so exquisitely, allowing them to bring this tale to life realistically and invitingly.
Elba, as he is always, is powerful in his titular role. An actor who doesn't always get a fair shake from Hollywood, Elba is a talented professional and his gravitas is a strength of the film. But he's not alone. Moonlight's Jerome is a young firebrand and he lights up the screen when he's on even if he is in a role that feels a bit too much of a place holder. Same with Selma's Toussaint playing another character that could be a cliche but she transcends that in her performance. But at the centre of this film is McLaughlin as the protagonist of this story, finding his connection in ways he never expected.
It is the setting in this unique mash up world of intersections we wouldn't expect which lifts this otherwise familiar father/son story into something remarkable. The story is a bit of a crowdpleaser but one that feels honest and real, especially in light of its very unique setting. Concrete Cowboy is the sort of film you do not regret watching and likely will sit with you for a while after seeing it.
Concrete Cowboy
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Byron Bowers, Lorraine Toussaint, Clifford "Method Man" Smith
Director: Ricky Staub
Writers: Dan Walser, Ricky Staub
No comments:
Post a Comment