Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Cowboys’ On Hulu, A Moving Western About A Bipolar Father Who Ventures Into The Wilderness With His Trans Son

The reimagined Western is having a moment; films like Nomadland, Leave No Trace, First Cow, and Slow West – among many others – have shown us there’s a multitude of ways to make a Western, and cowboy boots aren’t always required. Anna Kerrigan’s debut feature Cowboys, now streaming on Hulu, takes inspiration from some genre classics but tells a story all its own. 

COWBOYS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: When we first meet Troy (Steve Zahn) and Joe (Sasha Knight), they’re admiring the majesty of the Montana wilderness. It’s a picturesque scene of father and son without a worry in the world, but elsewhere, the worrying is only beginning. Back at home, Joe’s mother Sally (Jillian Bell) awakes to find Joe missing from his bedroom and files a police report. Detective Faith Ericson (the always wonderful Ann Dowd) is on the case, and soon realizes that Sally has neglected to tell her that Joe is no longer the long-haired, dress-wearing little girl in the photo she gave police. Sally is in denial about Joe’s transition, and Joe, desperate to be himself, has taken off into the wilderness with his big-hearted, bipolar father.

As the police hunt for leads before Troy and Joe can get to the Canadian border, the duo (mostly) enjoys their days in the woods, taking in the sights on horseback, eating beans, and sleeping in tents. Despite good intentions, things slowly go off the rails for father and son, and the choice to escape up north seems less and less like a good idea. With so much at stake, the choices made by our central adult trio – Troy, Sally, and Faith – will affect Joe’s life forever.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Cowboys definitely boasts echoes of classic buddy Westerns like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but when it comes to the story of family and identity at its heart, it also evokes Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy at times, as well as a little bit of Leave No Trace.

Performance Worth Watching: Newcomer Sasha Knight is spectacular, but the film really belongs to Steve Zahn. Usually relegated to quirky sidekick roles, Zahn finally gets his chance to take center stage – and he relishes it. He plays Troy like he’s been living his life for years, so charismatic and raw. Too often does bipolar get played as a caricature, but every move Zahn makes feels uncomfortably real, a gutting depiction of the demons battled by people living with mental illness. There is so much love and care in his performance, a real tenderness that remains even in the film’s more explosive moments. With any luck, this role will mark the end of Zahn’s days as supporting player.

Memorable Dialogue: “I’m not a tomboy. A tomboy’s just another type of girl. But I’m not a girl,” says Joe, when he first tries to explain who he is to Troy. “Sometimes I think aliens put me in this girl body as a joke.” It might seem a bit on the nose, but Sasha Knight sells it so beautifully that I found myself jotting down the quote to remember it later.

Sex and Skin: There’s an implied reunion romp in a truck and some giggly, handsy exchange between Troy and Sally early on, but not much else.

Our Take: Cowboys is so special. From its opening images to the moment it ends, it may very well take hold of your heart the way it took mine. It’s a film that shows us the breathtaking magnitude of the Montana mountains in one shot, and the life-altering significance of personal identity the next. Cowboys never sweats the small stuff, finding the meaning in a pair of cowboy boots, raking leaves, or opening a can of beans. There’s also a fascinating gentleness to it all that never wavers; even during some of the film’s more intense or upsetting sequences, it still feels like home, a place to understand humanity, warts and all. The film may be lean, but it doesn’t skimp on powerful themes or meaningful exchanges. There’s really something here, and all of that *something* is carried by a central quartet of superb performers both seasoned and just starting out.

Zahn, as I mentioned earlier, does career-best work here as Troy, the troubled father with a heart of gold. He’s a tragic hero in his own right, balancing twinkly charm with a pathos that’s impossible to shake. I kept finding myself wondering how this performance hadn’t received more awards attention. There are so many little moments he shares with Joe that stuck with me; making up stories at bedtime, helping him pick out flannels (“This one screams Paul Newman!”) and ditching the pink cowboy boots Sally picked out. Knight more than holds his own opposite his experienced co-stars, painfully inhabiting that pre-transition space in flashbacks and excitedly donning a Western belt buckle his dad sneaks him later. I found myself going back to a scene at the bowling alley when Joe simply takes in the mannerisms, the clothing, the sheer existence of all the men there, observing them all with a quiet, painful sense of longing. It’s magic, especially coming from a child actor. Jillian Bell, to her credit, plays against her comedy chops here. She might have the most difficult job of all as the mother unwilling to let go of the idea of a daughter, forcing Joe to keep his hair long and wear girly dresses. There’s a beautiful full-circle moment involving Sally by the time the film has ended, and it’s a testament to Bell’s strength as a performer that we’re able to see past the cruelty she’s inflicted on her child to the woman underneath it all.

Cowboys may not have had its chance to truly shine thanks to COVID, but with any luck, it will find all the love and appreciation it deserves as it begins a new life on a major streaming platform. With all its tenderness and emotional vulnerability, Cowboys is unlike anything I have seen in quite some time. From the moving script to career-best performances across the board, it’s the kind of film that makes a home deep in your heart. I hope it doesn’t leave anytime soon.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Cowboys is a remarkable, gentle piece of drama, an unconventional buddy Western that explores multiple themes with grace and heart.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Where to Stream Cowboys