Rodeo (2022 | France | 105 minutes | Lola Quivoron)

In the first few moments of the thrilling new movie Rodeo, we learn that its protagonist Julia is a lone wolf and antihero. She doesn’t make friends easily, she blows off work, has alienated her family, and she steals whatever she wants or needs. Her one passion is motorcycles.

French newcomer Julie Ledru plays Julia and she’s perfectly cast. I found her magnetic, playing a character who does little to earn sympathy and has a tendency to quickly burn through any goodwill she does earn.

With a newly-swiped bike, Julia heads out to a “rodeo,” a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts who thrive on danger and nihilism. She’s repeatedly told that rodeos are no place for someone to go alone, but she’s not concerned. When her stolen bike gets stolen, she can steal another one. She does, though, find a group she wants to join. She meets a charismatic biker named Abra (Dave Nsaman) who gives her some pointers about riding and welcomes her when almost everyone else thinks she has no business being there. 

Abra is a member of a crew called the B-Mores. He tragedy befalls him, but she still tries to ingratiate herself into the B-Mores in his absence. They don’t just ride but fix up stolen bikes and resell them. Her entry is tenuous and conditional but she earns the respect of Domino (Sebastien Schroeder), the incarcerated leader who controls the group from his prison cell, through her gift of thievery. He knows her as “Unknown.” Her ability to steal bikes helps her accumulate some genuine power in the underground bike scene. Meanwhile, her heists become more and more dangerous. This comes to a head in a final heist she has been dreaming about, stealing bikes from a blue semi truck that she knows contains fancy, new bikes.

First-time feature director Lola Quivoron has a unique and kinetic feature on her hands here. This isn’t a perfect movie, I have some qualms about cohesion, but the energy propels the movie with so much inertia any complaints feel nitpicky. If you ever found the Fast and Furious movies too mild, I have the movie for you.

Rodeo is a bold, exciting feature from a first-time director and first time star. I can’t wait to see what they do next. 

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Rodeo plays at SIFF Cinema Uptown through Thursday, April 13 and becomes available on VOD on Tuesday, April 18.