Rodeo takes viewers inside the cacophonous, adrenaline-fueled world of France’s underground motocross scene. Hot-tempered Julia (Julie Ledrue) steals everything she has, including the high-end dirt bikes that gain her entry into the B-Mores, an exclusive gang of riders who specialize in full-throttle acrobatics. Julia’s welcome is fraught. She constantly has to prove herself to the more experienced male riders, but her deft hand at stealing has a way of smoothing things over—until it doesn’t. Director Lola Quivoron spent four years embedded in groups of “urban rodeo” riders as a documentarian and photojournalist. Now, Quivoron’s low-budget verité filmmaking meets death-defying stunt work in this gritty thriller that is just as much a heist caper as it is a coming-of-age story. Winner of the special jury prize in Cannes’ 2022 Un Certain Regard section, Rodeo brings a clandestine subculture to the screen with startling vivacity. ~TW