With a singular cinematic perspective, directors Bill and Turner Ross (TCHOUPITOULAS, 45365) are known for capturing dreamy vérité images to create rich portraits of life in American landscapes. They open their latest tale before the storm hits: the people of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Mexico are joined together to celebrate their harmonious past with a festival that all but throws open the international border. Welcoming the revelers are Chad Foster, the beloved mayor of Eagle Pass, and Martin Wall, a fifth-generation cattleman. As if lifted from a John Ford epic, these characters are all brio and conviction and, at first, unable to see the looming specter of change and its rippling consequences.  Soon though, conflict in the form of emerging cartel violence and strident border patrolling will become impossible to ignore. Confronted with inexorable forces of change, these archetypal heroes face the dawn of a new reality. Produced out of New Orleans by the team behind BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, the aptly titled WESTERN is a beautifully observed modern take on a classic cinematic tradition, and a timely examination of life on the American frontier today-all the more potent because it is true.

TRT: 93 minutes
 

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

Sunday, Jan. 25, 12:00pm, Temple Theatre - World Premiere

Sunday, Jan. 25, 7:00pm, Holiday Village 4 - P&I Screening

Monday, Jan. 26, 9:00pm, Sundance Resort - Public Screening #2

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 9:00am, Yarrow Hotel Theater - Public Screening #3

Thursday, Jan. 29, 5:30pm, MARC - Public Screening #4

Friday, Jan. 30, 3:00pm, Salt Lake City Library (SLC) - Public Screening #5

Saturday, Jan. 31, 10:00am, Holiday Village 4 -Public Screening #6

Attending: Bill and Turner Ross and subject Martin Wall
Press Days: Sunday, Jan. 25 and Monday Jan. 26