A young man’s journey of queer self-discovery in the Western landscape of New Mexico, Luke Gilford’s feature film debut National Anthem is the closing night film of this year’s Raindance Film Festival.
21-year-old Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a softly-spoken young man who helps to support his family by working occasional jobs, while also being the reliable parent-figure to his pre-teen brother. An offer of a few weeks’ work at a ranch introduces him to a community of queer rodeo performers who welcome him with open arms. Dylan connects immediately with Sky (Eve Lindley), a rider who is incredibly sure of herself and her identity, and who is key to inviting Dylan into their found family. Meanwhile, Dylan’s mother Fiona (Robyn Lively) is not coping well with the breakup of her relationship with his father, and relies heavily on Dylan to look after his younger brother while she enjoys evenings out at the local watering hole.
Dylan is so quiet and internalises so much that it is (deliberately) difficult to know at first whether he understands the nature of the community into which he is so warmly welcomed. There is a mild sense of suspense as to what his reaction will be once he realises. But it soon becomes clear that he is open to accepting that he may have actually found his people and that his greatest challenge will be overcoming the pain of an unrequited first love.
Charlie Plummer is such good casting for this role – in his hands, Dylan is the perfect stereotype of a Western ranch-hand but also possesses the shy confidence of someone who has just been waiting for their moment to arrive. Also giving a quietly moving performance is Mason Alexander Park as Carrie, a friend to everyone and yet still emanating loneliness.
The New Mexico landscapes are beautiful and photographed gorgeously by cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi, as are the scenes at the rodeo where excitable animals are involved.
National Anthem is a gently-handled story about queer self-discovery and determination; it’s refreshing to see such a tale eschew the temptation to be excessively camped-up or overly morose, even if perhaps a little more bite wouldn’t have gone amiss.
But this feature debut from Luke Gilford did have me invested in Dylan’s story, and I left the film with my fingers crossed that the young man successfully finds his way – which must be a win, surely?
National Anthem is the closing night film at the 32nd Raindance Film Festival, and is nominated for ‘Discovery Award for Best Debut Feature’, ‘Best Debut Director’, and ‘Best Performance in a Debut’.
A young man’s journey of queer self-discovery in the Western landscape of New Mexico, Luke Gilford’s feature film debut National Anthem is the closing night film of this year’s Raindance Film Festival.
21-year-old Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a softly-spoken young man who helps to support his family by working occasional jobs, while also being the reliable parent-figure to his pre-teen brother. An offer of a few weeks’ work at a ranch introduces him to a community of queer rodeo performers who welcome him with open arms. Dylan connects immediately with Sky (Eve Lindley), a rider who is incredibly sure of herself and her identity, and who is key to inviting Dylan into their found family. Meanwhile, Dylan’s mother Fiona (Robyn Lively) is not coping well with the breakup of her relationship with his father, and relies heavily on Dylan to look after his younger brother while she enjoys evenings out at the local watering hole.
Dylan is so quiet and internalises so much that it is (deliberately) difficult to know at first whether he understands the nature of the community into which he is so warmly welcomed. There is a mild sense of suspense as to what his reaction will be once he realises. But it soon becomes clear that he is open to accepting that he may have actually found his people and that his greatest challenge will be overcoming the pain of an unrequited first love.
Charlie Plummer is such good casting for this role – in his hands, Dylan is the perfect stereotype of a Western ranch-hand but also possesses the shy confidence of someone who has just been waiting for their moment to arrive. Also giving a quietly moving performance is Mason Alexander Park as Carrie, a friend to everyone and yet still emanating loneliness.
The New Mexico landscapes are beautiful and photographed gorgeously by cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi, as are the scenes at the rodeo where excitable animals are involved.
National Anthem is a gently-handled story about queer self-discovery and determination; it’s refreshing to see such a tale eschew the temptation to be excessively camped-up or overly morose, even if perhaps a little more bite wouldn’t have gone amiss.
But this feature debut from Luke Gilford did have me invested in Dylan’s story, and I left the film with my fingers crossed that the young man successfully finds his way – which must be a win, surely?
National Anthem is the closing night film at the 32nd Raindance Film Festival, and is nominated for ‘Discovery Award for Best Debut Feature’, ‘Best Debut Director’, and ‘Best Performance in a Debut’.
Share this:
Like this:
Discover more from The Movie Isle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.