14 year old Kris and her younger sister live with their grandmother since their mother is in prison. Her neighbor Abe is a black rodeo cowboy struggling to stay on the circuit despite suffering injuries. He comes home to find Kris had trashed his place with a party. He reluctantly agrees to allow her to work as compensation. Her mother tells her about a plan to buy a double-wide to reunite with the family. They need $3k which they don't have but Kris intends to get it.

I really like these characters who are the stuck in the trash heaps of society. I like Abe's quiet dignity and his self-reliance. Their initial connection is great. He's looking around scared as the little girl is screaming for help. It all has the feel of reality including the girl's low energy quiet performance. The only problem arises in the climatic scene where I had hoped that she could raise her energy output to punch an exclamation point in her performance. She's not really an actual actress. She's only a kid. That's why I like her in the first place.

Continuing proof that Independent cinema is alive and kicking in the USA. "Bull" is director Annie Silverstein's feature debut about the unlikely friendship that develops between an introverted 14 year old girl, (an excellent Amber Havard),and her ageing neighbour, a rodeo bullfighter, beautifully played by Rob Morgan, after she and her friends break into his home. It's a film whose pedigree goes back to the seventies and it's clear that in this American backwater very little has changed. This is Trump's America where people are so mired in poverty they will do or believe anything if they think it will alleviate their problems. It has a rough, documentary feel to it greatly helped by Silverstein's decision to use mostly non-professionals in her cast and it's superbly shot by Shabier Kirchner. It may not have the most original of scenarios but it does deal with a part of America largely ignored by filmmakers and it certainly heartfelt, clearly marking Silverstein out as a director with a future.

It appears that a few "critics" are bothered by the fact that this isn't a fast paced action thriller directed by Michael Bay. "What! No transforming aliens looking to protect Shia from Megatron?" If you're a 15 yr old looking for an alien invasion flick, go elsewhere. If you're a mature adult who appreciates a good story, keep reading.

The plot evolves at just the right tempo to keep you engaged but not so much that you lose sight of the character development unfolding from the opening credits. Crystal's milieu makes it easy to sympathize with her character but it's done so naturally rather than the more contrived methods you might be used to in larger commercially produced films. The ending seems non-traditional and pedestrian but only to those who are used to a cowboy riding off into the sunset. This movie is authentic, raw, and original, and I would watch again.