Bull (2019 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Bull

| image = Bull 2019 poster.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Annie Silverstein

| producer = Monique Walton
Bert Marcus
Heather Rae
Ryan Zacarias
Audrey Rosenberg

| writer = Annie Silverstein
Johnny McAllister

| starring = Rob Morgan
Amber Havard
Yolonda Ross

| music = William Ryan Fritch

| cinematography = Shabier Kirchner

| editing = Miguel Schverdfinger
Todd Holmes

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Bert Marcus Film
Invisible Pictures

}}

| distributor = Samuel Goldwyn Films

| released = {{film date|2019|5|15|Cannes|2020|5|1|United States}}

| runtime = 101 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

}}

Bull is a 2019 American drama film directed by Annie Silverstein.{{cite web |date=May 9, 2019 |title=The Screenings Guide 2019 |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-articles/communique/articles/the-screenings-guide-2019 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |website=festival-cannes.com}} It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web |date=May 6, 2019 |title=Cannes festival 2019: full list of films |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/18/cannes-festival-2019-full-list-of-films |access-date=April 18, 2019 |work=The Guardian}} The film received widespread critical acclaim and went on to screen at the Deauville Film Festival, where it won three of the top five prizes including the Grand Jury Prize, Revelations Prize for Best First Film, and the Critics Award.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-14 |title=Deauville: Annie Silverstein's 'Bull' Takes Top Prize |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/deauville-annie-silversteins-bull-takes-top-prize-1239743 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{Cite web |last1=Keslassy |first1=Elsa |date=September 15, 2019 |title=Annie Silverstein's 'Bull' Takes Top Awards, Robert Pattinson Starrer 'The Lighthouse' Wins Jury Prize at Deauville |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/annie-silversteins-bull-takes-top-awards-robert-pattinson-starrer-the-lighthouse-wins-jury-prize-at-deauville-1203336277/ |website=Variety}} Bull was released to video on demand and streaming platforms on May 1, 2020.{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-03-18 |title=Annie Silverstein's Cannes Drama BULL Moves to a VOD Release Date of May 1 |url=https://www.vimooz.com/2020/03/18/annie-silversteins-cannes-drama-bull-moves-to-a-vod-release-date-of-may-1/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=VIMooZ |language=en-US}}

Plot

In Houston, Texas, Kris is a 14-year-old girl who lives with her grandmother and younger sister while her mother Janis is incarcerated. One night, Kris breaks into the home of Abe, a man who lives down the street from her, in an attempt to steal his alcohol and painkillers for her and her friends. She is caught by Abe, but in lieu of her serving time in a juvenile hall, Abe agrees to let Kris make amends by helping him clean his house and repair his chicken coop. Unbeknownst to Kris, Abe is a former bull rider whose accumulated injuries caused him to leave the sport. Abe manages to scrape a living as a trainer for the next generation of riders. He and Kris gradually form a tentative friendship as she is exposed to the world of bull riding. Though Kris finds a new passion for the sport, bad influences threaten to lure her back to her delinquent ways. Abe also struggles with the realities of getting older and aging out of the rodeo star life.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Rob Morgan as Abe Turner
Amber Havard as Kris
Yolonda Ross as Sheila
Keira Bennett as Chance
Keeli Wheeler as Marjorie
Sara Allbright as Janis
Troy Anthony Hogan as Mike
Steven Boyd as Billy
Roishaun Davenport as Roishaun

}}

Release

The film had its world premiere on May 15, 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.{{cite web |last=Titmarsh |first=Jo-Ann |date=May 16, 2019 |title=Bull Review – Cannes 2019 |url=https://www.heyuguys.com/bull-review-cannes-2019/ |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=heyuguys.com}}{{cite web |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |date=May 16, 2019 |title=Cannes Film Festival: It's Apocalypse Now, Thanks to Jim Jarmusch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/movies/cannes-film-festival-jim-jarmusch.html |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=The New York Times}} The Hollywood Reporter named Bull one of the best films screened at the festival.{{cite web |date=May 26, 2019 |title=Cannes: Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 20 Best Films of the Fest |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cannes-hollywood-reporter-critics-pick-20-best-films-fest-1212765/item/hollywood-reporter-critics-cannes-picks-bull-1212769 |access-date=May 30, 2019 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} In October, the film's North American rights were acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films.{{Cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=2019-10-08 |title=Cannes Drama 'Bull' Rides To North America With Samuel Goldwyn Films |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/samuel-goldwyn-films-cannes-bull-annie-silverstein-1202754992/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}} Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired international distribution rights.{{Cite web |last1=Keslassy |first1=Elsa |date=October 9, 2019 |title=Sony Nabs International Rights to Cannes Title 'Bull' From Film Constellation (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/sony-cannes-title-bull-from-film-constellation-1203364604/ |website=Variety}}

The film had its American premiere on October 18, 2019 at Film Independent's New Wave showcase.{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2019 |title=Film Independent Announces The New Wave to Open With U.S. Premiere of Annie Silverstein's 'Bull' |url=https://www.filmindependent.org/press-releases/film-independent-announces-the-new-wave-to-open-with-u-s-premiere-of-annie-silversteins-bull/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Film Independent |language=en-US}} On May 1, 2020, the film was released digitally.

Reception

Bull received positive from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 89 reviews are positive, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads: "An intimate two-hander anchored by a pair of well-matched actors, Bull takes an achingly empathetic look at life on the economic margins."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bull_2020|title=Bull (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bull|title=Bull Reviews|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=July 30, 2020}}

Critics praised the film for the acting of its two leads, Silverstein's focus on an unfamiliar world, and its slice-of-life approach.{{cite web |last=Urbancich |first=John M. |date=May 22, 2019 |title=Film News and Reviews: Cannes film 'Bull' shows tough slices of life from both ends of age spectrum |url=https://jmuvies.blogspot.com/2019/05/cannes-film-bull-shows-tough-slices-of.html |access-date=May 24, 2019 |website=JMuvies}}{{cite web |last=Frosch |first=Jon |date=May 15, 2019 |title='Bull': Film Review - Cannes 2019 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bull-review-1210001 |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite web |last=Ng |first=Alan |date=May 16, 2019 |title=Bull |url=http://filmthreat.com/reviews/bull/ |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=Film Threat |publisher=}}{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Simon |date=August 7, 2019 |title=Review: 'Bull' Is A Raw, Rich And Realistic Slice Of American Life |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2019/08/07/review-bull-is-a-raw-rich-and-realistic-slice-of-american-life/ |website=Forbes}}{{cite web |last=Pond |first=Steve |date=April 30, 2020 |title='Bull' Film Review: Annie Silverstein Finds Signs of Life in Numb Characters |url=https://www.thewrap.com/bull-film-review-annie-silverstein-finds-signs-of-life-in-numb-characters/ |access-date=May 24, 2019 |website=TheWrap}} Eric Kohn of IndieWire wrote the film is "an evocative coming-of-age story...carried by a pair of astounding performances that hover on a plane of their own, generating unique chemistry that finds its emotional center with time."{{cite web |last1=Kohn |first1=Eric |date=May 15, 2019 |title='Bull' Review: 'The Rider' Meets 'The Wrestler' in Striking Portrait of Black Rodeos — Cannes |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/bull-review-annie-silverstein-cannes-1202140732/ |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=IndieWire}} Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and said the film is "quietly observed, beautifully performed",{{cite web |last1=Minow |first1=Nell |date=May 1, 2020 |title=Bull movie review & film summary (2020) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bull-movie-review-2020 |access-date=May 13, 2020 |website=RogerEbert.com |language=en}} while Alan Ng of Film Threat opined the film is "a subtle tale about the bonds of friendship in times of hopelessness." The New York Times{{'}}s Jeanette Catsoulis said the film "handles hot-button issues with a cool eye and a calming tone."{{Cite news |last=Catsoulis |first=Jeannette |date=2020-04-30 |title='Bull' Review: A Lot to Wrangle With |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/movies/bull-review.html |access-date=2023-02-02 |issn=0362-4331}}

Sight & Sound gave the film a five star review and opined Bull "is a mesmerising film, and one that will linger in the imagination long after the sounds of the crickets have faded."{{cite web |last=Harrison |first=Rebecca |date=May 23, 2019 |title=Bull first look: a bucking portrait of a rodeoing odd couple |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/bull-annie-silverstein-amber-havard-rob-morgan-texas-rodeo-odd-couple |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=Sight & Sound}} The Playlist stated, "the result is a sensitive, if occasionally orthodox, treatment of a compassionate friendship enacted in the face of societal apathy", and "it's a hardscrabble tale of one singular bond amidst a landscape of socio-economic struggle."{{cite web |last=Tsai |first=Caroline |date=May 16, 2019 |title='Bull': Annie Silverstein's Portrait Of Bull Riders Is No Fairy Tale [Cannes Review] |url=https://theplaylist.net/bull-cannes-review-20190516/ |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=The Playlist}}

Much acclaim was given to the performance of Rob Morgan. In Pajiba, Roxana Hadadi wrote, "As the lead in Annie Silverstein's Bull, Morgan reiterates what he's capable of, delivering a captivating performance of a man aging out of his dream and realizing, not for the first or the last time, that maybe his passion isn't enough."{{Cite web |last=Hadadi |first=Roxana |date=2020-05-08 |title=Review: Character Actor Rob Morgan Deserves an Oscar Nom for 'Bull' |url=https://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/review-character-actor-rob-morgan-deserves-an-oscar-nom-for-bull.php |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Pajiba}} David Fear of Rolling Stone gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said Morgan gives one of the great screen performances of the year.{{cite magazine |last1=Fear |first1=David |date=May 1, 2020 |title='Bull' Review: A Broken Rider, a Lost Teen and an Unlikely Friendship |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/bull-movie-review-rob-morgan-982620/ |access-date=May 13, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}

Hadadi added that while the plot line can seem like a familiar "troubled white person saved by the influence of a POC" narrative, Bull is able to sidestep the cliches "because of how much time it spends with Morgan's Abe, and how much time it spends in the ring. Like The Wrestler or The Rider or even Lean on Pete, Bull is interested in the toll a sport takes on your body, on the ways we build up our tolerance for that pain, and on the limits of how much we can take."

Loren King of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists stated the film is a "powerful, poetic debut feature" and that the film "portrays marginal lives with unflinching honesty and heart-wrenching humanity."{{cite web |last=King |first=Loren |date=May 15, 2019 |title=Bull |url=https://awfj.org/blog/2019/05/15/bull-review-by-loren-king/ |access-date=May 20, 2019 |website=Alliance of Women Film Journalists}} Slash Film also noted Silverstein has a "keen eye for detail and terrific rapport with her performers, many of them untrained. The film easily could have descended into mawkishness, but instead the travails of Kris and Abe feel entirely real, and thus all the more moving. Silverstein takes Bull by the horns and drags us into this world, making us feel a part of these characters, witnessing their strengths and weakness as they come to grips with the challenges of life in their Texas town."{{Cite web |last=Gorber |first=Jason |date=May 20, 2019 |title='Bull' Review: Annie Silverstein is an American Indie Filmmaker to Watch [Cannes] |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/bull-review/ |website=/Film}}

Though the film was heavily compared to the film The Rider, critics said Bull is "far from being a carbon copy, [and] is another multifaceted cinematic examination of characters that are often pushed to the peripheries or treated with pity. It's a fantastic narrative feature debut for Silverstein, and more than worthy of Un Certain Regard."{{cite web |last=Humphries-Brooks |first=Lauren |date=May 20, 2019 |title=Bull (2019) |url=https://suddenlyashotrangout.com/2019/05/20/bull-2019/ |access-date=May 21, 2019 |website=suddenlyashotrangout.com}}{{cite web |last=Mayward |first=Joel |date=May 15, 2019 |title=Bull |url=https://cinemayward.com/review/bull/ |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=cinemayward}}{{cite web |last=Bell |first=Nicholas |date=May 15, 2019 |title=Bull - 2019 Cannes Film Festival Review |url=https://www.ioncinema.com/reviews/annie-silverstein-bull-review |access-date=May 17, 2019 |website=Ion Cinema}} Chuck Koplinski of the Illinois Times gave the film 4/4 stars.{{cite news |last1=Koplinski |first1=Chuck |date=April 30, 2020 |title=Authentic Bull one of year's best |work=Illinois Times |url=https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/authentic-bull-one-of-years-best/Content?oid=12112984 |access-date=May 13, 2020}}

Accolades

class="wikitable sortable"

!Award

!Category

!Nominee

!Result

!{{Abbreviation|Ref.|References}}

Black Reel Awards

|Outstanding Actor

|Rob Morgan

|{{nom}}

| align="center" | {{Cite web |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=2021-02-18 |title='One Night in Miami', 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Lead Nominations For 21st Annual Black Reel Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/one-night-in-miami-judas-and-the-black-messiah-nominations-21st-annual-black-reel-awards-1234696267/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

rowspan="2" |Cannes Film Festival

|Golden Camera

| rowspan="5" |Annie Silverstein

|{{nom}}

| rowspan="2" align="center" |

Un Certain Regard Award

|{{nom}}

rowspan="3" |Deauville Film Festival

|Critics Award

|{{won}}

| rowspan="3" align="center" |

Grand Special Prize

|{{won}}

Revelations Prize

|{{won}}

Houston Film Critics Society Awards

|Texas Independent Film Award

|{{won}}

|align="center" | {{cite web|url=https://houstonfilmcritics.com/hfcs-gives-parasite-top-award-at-13th-annual-awards-show/ |title=The Houston Film Critics Society Award Winners for 2019 |date=January 3, 2020 |access-date=February 2, 2023}}

rowspan="3" |Independent Spirit Awards

|Best Male Lead

|Rob Morgan

|{{nom}}

| rowspan="3" align="center" | {{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/2021-independent-spirit-awards-nominations-1234611497/ |title=2021 Spirit Awards Nominations List: 'Never Rarely' Dominates with 7 Noms, 'Minari' Strong |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=April 19, 2021 |access-date=February 2, 2023}}

Best Cinematography

|Shabier Kirchner

|{{nom}}

Someone to Watch Award

|Annie Silverstein

|{{nom}}

SXSW Film Festival

|Louis Black "Lone Star" Award
Special Jury Recognition for Acting

|Rob Morgan

|{{won}}

|align="center" | {{Cite web |date=March 24, 2020 |title=SXSW Film Festival Announces 2020 Jury and Special Awards |url=https://www.sxsw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-SXSW-AWARDS-RELEASE-FINAL.pdf |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=SXSW}}