Cheyenne at TIFF
Eight seconds is like the blink of an eye. But on the rodeo circuit, eight seconds could be the difference between life or death. Or, the difference between a placement riding at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Cheyenne, a documentary about cowgirls on the rodeo circuit, made its world premiere at TIFF this past September. Following four fearless women as they vie for a spot at the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, “The Daddy of ‘Em All,” Cheyenne offers a breathtaking view into a hidden subculture of ambition.
Cheyenne dazzles with stunning wide shots of the Western prairie. Slow-motion cinematography lends access to discover the behind-the-scenes of a world many know nothing about. The entire film felt like a series of adrenaline rushes, the energy of the audience cresting and falling with each success and failure. We see the journeys of four women: Bee, Brooke, Lake, and Ally over a bronc-riding season. The titular rodeo, Cheyenne, marks the showdown to end all showdowns. Each has a reason for wanting that golden buckle: whether to release past trauma, to make her family proud, or simply, the money. Riding in the rodeo is an exhilarating experience for the girls that seems to outweigh any risk of danger.
In bronc riding, each competitor is rated on how well they can stay on a bucking horse, but they’ll only receive a mark if they manage to pass the eight second threshold. Obviously, hazardous injuries in bronc riding are commonplace. /Cheyenne/ takes its audience through the highest highs (having a near-perfect ride, making it to Cheyenne, or even winning!) and the lowest lows (having your horse step on you after falling off). Lungs fill with blood, ambulances rush to the hospital, but the adrenaline stays.
Women have a long history with roughstock riding in rodeo, initially becoming prominent in the late 1800s. Then, as a milestone in 1906, women’s bronc riding became an event at Cheyenne Frontier Days. This went on for another 23 years until a cowgirl named Bonnie McCarroll died from her injuries after getting on a bucking horse. Rodeos all around shut down their women’s roughstock events, stating that it was too dangerous for them, despite the equally dangerous injuries and deaths sustained by men. Since 1989, 21 people have died from rodeo-related injuries, which has not affected male competition status at Cheyenne. The women’s ban, however, stayed the status quo until 2018, when the Women’s Ranch Bronc Championships reinstated the event at Cheyenne.
The pressure was on after a 90-year ban, and the documentary does an excellent job of portraying this fact. Misogyny runs rampant in the rodeo circuit, and as the women stay true to their golden rule (no crying in the arena!), they battle against the expectations of weakness and fragility in order to rise to the top. Showing barriers being broken in action, /Cheyenne/ provides persevering themes of female friendship, grit, and bravery.