The unique cinematic perspective of Bill and Turner Ross specializes in lyrical and dreamy portraits that redefine what is conventionally understood as "documentary." Thus far, they’ve created two visually stimulating, aurally immersive feature-length docs in “45365” and the SXSW breakout “Tchoupitoulas,” the latter of which portrayed one night in the life of three boys soaking up the vibrant atmosphere of New Orleans. Their latest film, debuting at Sundance Film Festival this weekend, is “Western,” an exploration of life on the American frontier in the present day.
“At the forefront, what are the archetypes and images that create this idea?” the Ross brothers said in a “Meet The Artists” Sundance clip which you can see below. “The archetypes of the cowboy and the lawman and the dusty frontier —if you can find John Wayne, what does he look like? What is he doing?”
Here’s official Sundance synopsis: For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
Confronted with inexorable forces of change, these archetypal heroes face a new reality, which may give the Ross Brothers their most narrative-driven picture to date. Produced by the New Orleans-based team behind “Beasts Of The Southern Wild,” the moody-sounding “Western” is surely going to be a must-see Sundance documentary. Below, we’ve got a first look at the exclusive poster for the film. “Western” premieres on Sunday, Jan. 25th in Park City and will be playing numerous times throughout the festival. Check out the poster below.
Browse through all our coverage of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival by clicking here.