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Looks great and has beautiful framing, but the sense of superficiality extends to the subject himself, which is a shame
I think this is the third short film that I have seen from Joris Debeij. All of them have been documentary shorts and all of them have had the same strengths and the same weaknesses; the mix of which is more than enough to keep me coming back to his work, but at the same time still frustrating me with where the limitations exist. In the case of The Bull Rider, the film focuses on Gary Leffew, a bull rider and now coach for others, who focuses very much on the mental state required to do this activity.
To begin with what Debeij does well; this film is consistently beautiful in its cinematography (here with Nate Hurtsellers) and its selection and framing of shots. Like his other works, if you are looking for a screenshot to use as a promotional tool then you will be spoilt for choice as almost every frame is fit for hanging. I do not mean to overdo this, but personally I find it to be the case now across all the films I have seen from him – he has a great eye for design. The problem is that he does not have such a good eye for people, or at least delivering their stories. I guess the extent to which the visual sheen is presence extenuates this, but it is still an issue regardless.
Leffew is a case in point. He is a cowboy who seems to love the old ways, but yet also appears to have adopted meditation and other such mental exercises as a key part of his approach and coaching on an activity which, to the layman such as I, involves holding onto a bull for as long as you can – although usually just a few seconds. His narration covers the whole film, but yet I felt like I ended the film with only generalities and nothing beyond the superficial. On one level I guess the film does a function and introducing us to an odd character, and chatting at a level that we personally would chat if we only met him for 7 minutes while we waiting for someone else in a bar, but it does feel like a missed opportunity that the film seems so happy to stay at this level and not push below.
At some point I acknowledge that this is more about my opinion than the film itself, and I think it is clear that as an introductory documentary, it works well, with great presentation and an engaging enough character to provide a reason for watching the great images – however I would be lying if I said that I didn't struggle with the lack of more, and that the high gloss superficial delivery does rather limit the film as something that can last or can satisfy.
To begin with what Debeij does well; this film is consistently beautiful in its cinematography (here with Nate Hurtsellers) and its selection and framing of shots. Like his other works, if you are looking for a screenshot to use as a promotional tool then you will be spoilt for choice as almost every frame is fit for hanging. I do not mean to overdo this, but personally I find it to be the case now across all the films I have seen from him – he has a great eye for design. The problem is that he does not have such a good eye for people, or at least delivering their stories. I guess the extent to which the visual sheen is presence extenuates this, but it is still an issue regardless.
Leffew is a case in point. He is a cowboy who seems to love the old ways, but yet also appears to have adopted meditation and other such mental exercises as a key part of his approach and coaching on an activity which, to the layman such as I, involves holding onto a bull for as long as you can – although usually just a few seconds. His narration covers the whole film, but yet I felt like I ended the film with only generalities and nothing beyond the superficial. On one level I guess the film does a function and introducing us to an odd character, and chatting at a level that we personally would chat if we only met him for 7 minutes while we waiting for someone else in a bar, but it does feel like a missed opportunity that the film seems so happy to stay at this level and not push below.
At some point I acknowledge that this is more about my opinion than the film itself, and I think it is clear that as an introductory documentary, it works well, with great presentation and an engaging enough character to provide a reason for watching the great images – however I would be lying if I said that I didn't struggle with the lack of more, and that the high gloss superficial delivery does rather limit the film as something that can last or can satisfy.
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- bob the moo
- Apr 28, 2015
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