A Fieldguide Media production in association with Super Alright, Cactus Three. Produced by Bradley Beesley, Amy Dobson, James Payne. Executive producers, Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens. Co-producer, Louisiana Kreutz. Directed by Bradley Beesley.
With: Monty Baker, Jamie Brooks, Rhonda Buffalo, Crystal Herrington, Daniel Liles, Brandy "Foxie" Witte.
After examining barehanded fishermen ("Okie Noodling") and alt-rock icons ("The Fearless Freaks"), Oklahoma-based documaker Bradley Beesley shifts his gaze to an event billed as "the only behind-the-walls rodeo in the world" for his latest effort. "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo" is a fascinating group portrait of female convicts who are relative newcomers -- but determined competitors -- in a decades-old statewide event previously restricted to male inmates in the Oklahoma prison system. At once clear-eyed and compassionate, the pic could reach beyond traditional doc venues to attract moviegoers (and rodeo fans) usually lukewarm to nonfiction fare.
Although Beesley includes several scenes highlighting a male prison rodeo vet -- a convicted murder who makes no excuses for himself even as he seeks parole -- the pic focuses primarily on the feisty femme competitors held in the Eddie Warrior Women's Correctional Center in Taft, Okla. Chief attention-grabbers are Jamie Brooks, who sabotages her chances by receiving contraband, and Brandy "Foxie" Witte, a bronc rider who hires a private detective to contact long-estranged relatives. Rodeo sequences are impressively shot, but the most compelling drama unfolds outside the arena. Jason Quever's twangy score is a plus.
Camera (color, HD), Alan Novey; editor, Louisiana Kreutz; music, Jason Quever. Reviewed on DVD, Houston, March 25, 2009. (In SXSW Film Festival -- Special Screenings.) Running time: 89 MIN.
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com