INTERVIEW: New film tracks journey from cattle rancher to saver of farm animals
Photo: Rowdy Girl, a new documentary by Jason Goldman, follows the animal adventures that can be found at Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Texas. Photo courtesy of Argot Pictures / Provided by official site with permission.
Rowdy Girl, the new documentary produced and directed by Jason Goldman, follows the passions of Renee King-Sonnen and her husband, Tommy Sonnen, as they turn away from their cattle-ranching profession and build the Rowdy Girl Sanctuary for the newly saved animals in their care. They are on a mission to save farm animals from the slaughterhouse, and their compelling story is now playing in movie theaters. Rowdy Girl, distributed by Argot Pictures and executive produced by Moby, is currently running at Firehouse DCTV in New York City and will soon open at Laemmle Monica in Los Angeles.
“I just hope that there’s enough people who want to check it out or are open to the message, themes and ideas that are presented,” Goldman said about his movie. “I think most documentaries and all art in a way [proposes] ideas to viewers or audiences … and indicates artists’ feelings, emotions, and in a way hopes that that person can at least understand the message that is being transmitted and at best wrestle with it, absorb it or take it on in their own way.”
Goldman understands that his film is entering into a monumental debate in the United States and around the world. There are many, many meat-eaters out there, and the conversations about turning vegetarian or vegan can become passionate and contentious quickly. He believes that having King-Sonnen as the focus of the documentary helps provide authenticity.
“I think with any divisive conversation someone who can see both sides brings a different light to the perspectives that some people are sometimes entrenched in or really identify with,” he said. “[With Renee], you have someone who has been on both sides of it. … For her, it was such a visceral experience of that transformation that I was really drawn to that part of her experience and life experience.”
The director added: “People like Renee can reach that part of people more easily than someone like I can from New York who never worked in agriculture and never experienced the good moments and the bad moments of that kind of lifestyle. So, yes, she does have a way of transcending some obstacles and getting through to people who maybe would not pay attention to another voice, another message.”
Filming the farm animals for Rowdy Girl wasn’t as difficult as one might imagine. Goldman found that the occupants of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary know people well and understand that they are no longer waiting for the slaughterhouse. The director said this led to much more relaxed animals.
“Those animals have been living with Renee for a year at this point,” he said. “A lot of them are very accustomed to having people around and know at this point that not every six months, 12 months their babies are taken away from them, that their relatives are not being sold off or disappearing randomly. I feel like they’ve become accustomed to the rhythm and the pace, especially the energy, and not to get too spiritual, but the vibrations or the atmosphere that exists at the sanctuary. For us [as filmmakers], it’s very easy for us to slip into that state of being. I also think animals are some of the best judgers of people and know who to trust and who to feel comfortable around and to be wary or scary of. If anybody has a pet in their home, they can easily see when those animals get a little tense when maybe the wrong person is around, whether it’s outside or inside the home, and so for us, it was very easy to kind of fit into that overall scheme and be part of Renee’s extended family. The only animals we had difficulty with were two of the donkeys, who were just always so curious that it was very hard to get an angle on them because they would always come right up to the camera. We could not keep them away because they were so gregarious and loving.”
There are many takeaways that Goldman wants audience members to have after sitting for these 72 minutes. He wants viewers to start seeing farm animals in a different light, perhaps a light similar to how they view the animals within their own care.
“I want audiences to think about if they have companion animals at home that these animals deserve the exact same love and attention,” Goldman said. “Maybe they’re even better behaved than some of the animals we keep in our homes. It feels natural. Not only do we feel better about knowing that these animals are not going to slaughter, but it feels normal. It feels regular. It feels peaceful, tranquil. It just feels right, and I think that is one way that I hope the film can access people. Oh, OK, thinking to yourself, maybe this is how it should be and not all the systems that we’re used to embracing or being part of in our daily lives.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Rowdy Girl, directed by Jason Goldman, is now playing in movie theaters. Click here for more information.
