Rodeo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Rodeo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 20, 2023

The title of Rodeo may evoke images of cowboys and clowns, but this is a rather bracing if perhaps not fully realized film set in a contemporary French world of motocross. An amazing debut performance by Julie Ledru as a young girl named Julia who is attempting to matriculate into an extremely male dominated environment helps to energize a film that could have arguably used a bit of narrative tightening, and even clarifying, but which attains a certain viscerally manic energy simply from a near feral characterization by Ledru of a probably troubled "woman child", if there's a female version of a "man child". Filmed in a quasi-vérité style by co-writer and director Lola Quivoron (like Ledru, making an audacious feature film debut), to the point that even its digital capture is tweaked to resemble 16mm, Rodeo is often an arresting character study of a certain element of society that might be termed "down and out", but which has its own hardscrabble code, even if the film ultimately gives way to a "dark side" of thievery and other betrayals.

Julia is instantly introduced in medias res as a calamitous argument is already underway, and it's patently clear the young woman is hot tempered and quite frequently out of control. That element continues apace throughout the story, as Julia, despite an undeniable vulnerability, proves that she is no "nice girl" in any sense of the word, and a relatively early vignette documenting her absconding with a bike presages a later plot development where she actually gets involved with what amounts to a chop shop robbery ring. As such, Rodeo has some unabashedly melodramatic elements that might have arguably been better left by the wayside, since the central focus on this insular motocross community is so interesting in and of itself. That focus is made only more compelling by the character of Julia, brought rather stunningly to life by a newcomer who, if she can find the right roles, is certainly a performer to keep an eye on.

Rodeo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rodeo is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini and a 2K DI as the relevant data points. As can probably be clearly made out in the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, Quivoron and her production team have deliberately tweaked the digital capture to resemble gritty 16mm, and while that may chafe at those who want glossy sharpness, there's a rather appealing "organic" quality here that I personally rather liked. Despite the textures that have been digitally created, detail levels are typically very good to excellent, especially in more brightly lit moments. There are quite a few dimly lit or even outright nighttime moments where fine detail is definitely minimized. The palette is rather nicely suffused for the most part, though Quivoron has opted for some cool-ish grading at times which tends to favor blues and greens. A tendency toward "jiggly cam" may add to the perception of softness at times, if only because the framing is unstable.

Rodeo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rodeo features a nicely robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original French. Both the opportunities provided by a focus on roaring motorcycles as well as some propulsive source cues and underscore keep the side and rear channels regularly engaged, and despite this being a kind of quasi-"kitchen sink" drama, there are actually some pretty powerful bursts of LFE at key motocross moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Rodeo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Lola Quivoron (HD; 7:39) is from the American French Film Festival.


• TAFFF Talk (HD; 9:12) is also from the the American French Film Festival, and features Lola Quivoron and Antonia Buresi. Subtitled in English.


• Bikelife on the Red Carpet (HD; 14:22) features some real life motocross folks along with cast and crew. Subtitled in English.


• Dirt Bike Ballet (HD; 5:51) features some extended stunts.


• Dreaming of Baltimore (HD; 25:47) is a short film by Lola Quivoron that has at least some tangential connections to the main feature.


• Androgyne Music Video (HD; 4:52)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:01)


• Photo Gallery (HD)


• Isolated Music and Sound Design Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and is accessible under the Audio section of the Setup Menu.

Rodeo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Both Ledru and Quivoron make rather impressive feature film debuts with Rodeo, even if some may feel as I did that fewer "caper" melodramatics might have actually helped the story. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. At least for those looking for something a little different, Rodeo comes Recommended.