REVIEW: Cannes drama ‘Bull’
Photo: Bull stars Amber Harvard and Rob Morgan. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films (c) Bert Marucs Film / Provided by press site with permission.
Bull, the new movie from director Annie Silverstein, is a moving portrait of two lives brought together by difficult circumstances. The film is now available on video on demand and digital platforms, its theatrical release being disrupted by … well, you know.
The movie’s two protagonists are Abe Turner (Rob Morgan), a former bull rider who still tries to eek out a living from the spectacle he used to dominate. He’s neighbors with 14-year-old Kris (newcomer Amber Harvard), who hangs around with the wrong crowd and one day is caught destroying Abe’s property.
Rather than getting the police too involved, Abe makes a deal with Kris and her family (her mother is incarcerated, so she lives with her grandmother). If she comes by the house and rebuilds the chicken coop she destroyed, he’ll let bygones be bygones.
As the two begin an unlikely friendship, Kris starts to take a liking to Abe’s work in the bull ring. He no longer rides the animals, but he often serves as the comic relief and wrangles the bulls as younger riders hold on with all their might.
It’s obvious that Abe is struggling with this stage in his life. His body is not what it used to be, and with each passing year, he realizes he may have to find a new trade, a new meaning in life. Kris thinks there’s enough fight left in Abe in order for her to learn a few tricks.
Bull is simple and powerful. It is simultaneously a story about a man facing his new reality and a young woman coming of age in a dangerous, uncertain world. Kris’ friends are mostly bad influences, and with her grandmother distant (and perhaps popping too many pills) and her mother in jail, she needs a steady presence to right her ship. That’s the void that Abe is able to fill; he becomes a father figure to this father-less child.
The performances from Morgan and Harvard nicely anchor the film. Morgan, in particular, is strong and steadfast in his resoluteness and dedication to making some money and keeping a respectable living. He holds so much emotion in his eyes, with his wearied stares into the far distance. Harvard plays a character who also holds her emotion in her eyes and prefers to stay quiet most of the time. But one can tell she’s always listening — to the bad influences of her friends and the helpful advice of Abe.
Silverstein wrote the script with Johnny McAllister, and it’s an effective example of how to properly write a story with an economic amount of dialogue. More is left unsaid, and the talking never overtakes the action or emotion. They let the performances work their wonders, rather than supplying Abe and Kris with needless things to say.
Bull is a strong film that played 2019’s Cannes Film Festival and was an official selection of the recently canceled SXSW festival. The success it has found on the festival circuit should be mirrored with a healthy run on digital platforms. This is one of the best movies of the year.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Bull (2019). Directed by Annie Silverstein. Written by Silverstein and Johnny McAllister. Starring Rob Morgan, Yolonda Ross and Amber Harvard. Running time: 108 minutes. Rating: 
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