A trailer has dropped for “Bull,” Annie Silverstein’s portrait of the unlikely friendship between two neighbors in Texas: Abe (Rob Morgan), a black, aging ex-bullfighter, and Kris (Amber Havard), a white teen whose rebellious streak risks landing her in juvenile detention.
Kris finds herself in trouble with the law after trashing Abe’s house. Her guardian pleads with him not to press charges — Kris’ mother is in jail, and she’s trying to prevent the 14-year-old from following in her footsteps. To make amends for the damage she caused to his property — and the disrespect it showed — Kris is forced to help Abe with errands at home and at work on the Texas rodeo circuit. Smitten with the sport, she decides she wants to become a bull rider herself.
The trailer sees Kris receiving some important advice from Abe. “You see that bull. You think he’s just going crazy, right?” he asks. “Wants to kill someone. His mind has gone crazy with anger. But when he gets close to you, he closes his eyes. He can’t see. And then he’s yours. You understand?”
“I didn’t know anything about black cowboy culture — it’s not taught, and it’s not represented in cinema,” Silverstein told us. She was inspired to make “Bull” after meeting a man who came from a black cowboy family while on location scouting for a different project.
“Bull” marks Silverstein’s feature directorial debut. The drama made its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and hits theaters and VOD March 20.
