Before the screening of Rodeo began at the Mill Valley Film Festival, director Lola Quivoron informed us that the movie had won what is translated as the “heartbeat” award at the Cannes Film Festival. The name of the prize couldn’t be more fitting, as Rodeo is a movie that will have your heart beating fast from action and suspense one minute, breaking it in half the next, and intermittently have it swell from touching moments of unexpected warmth.
Rodeo centers around the scrappy, fearless Julia (Julie Ledru), a young woman who gets by stealing. Her scam of choice is meeting up with people selling motorbikes and pretending she’s taking them for a test drive before zooming away. It’s not hard to see why — she’s a damn good rider, and it’s clear that zipping down the streets, her hair blowing in the wind behind her, is where she feels the freest.
We don’t get a ton about her family, but we know enough to realize it’s not a good situation. Julia is a lone wolf, trusting no one. But when she falls into a crew of rebellious riders, somewhat by accident, things begin to change. And when a tragedy strikes the group, she gets drawn further into the crew — and makes some dangerous enemies in the process.
Ledru is an absolute force, playing Julia with the kind of resilience and middle-finger-to-the-world attitude that’s simply electric. Seeing her go toe-to-toe with and attempt to earn the respect of the all-male biker group, the B-Mores, is riveting. We see her spend the most time with Kaïs (Yanis Lafki), who takes an interest in her — somewhat begrudgingly at first, but he warms quickly, showing her the ropes and even becoming impressed when she pitches some bolder, bigger robbery jobs than the crew has done in the past.
The most compelling relationship, however, is between Julia and Ophélie (Antonia Buresi) — the biker gang’s boss’ wife. The boss, Domino (Sébastien Schroeder), is in prison, doing all of his business from a jail cell, leading Ophélie to spend most of her time hiding away with no one for company except her energetic and often stir-crazy young son Kylian (Cody Schroeder).
On the surface, they couldn’t be more different — appearance is everything to Ophélie, and at one point, she is even tasked with making Julia look presentable. Julia, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about how she looks or what anyone thinks of her. While Ophélie is tied down by her husband’s orders and consumed with caring for her son, Julia is independent and wild.
However, we soon realize they have more in common than we might think. They’re both tough — forced to be stronger than they should have to be — but there’s vulnerability simmering under the surface. Things that haunt them and a desire for connection. It’s a welcome surprise when the film leans into that, going heavy on exploring their dynamic, particularly in the latter half. Ophélie has an edge to her, but she can also be gentle and fiercely protective. Julia can be selfish, but there’s also an incredibly selfless side to her, too.
Rodeo is a gripping ride, and you can feel the adrenaline from your seat during the loud, thrilling stunts and gritty yet lively party scenes. But it’s just effective in its quiet moments — the softer, grainier scenes without much dialogue. That balance of roughness and violence combined with moments of tenderness and poignance is what makes Rodeo so special.
Lola Quivoron has crafted a daring, focused debut feature with a specific voice set in a captivating, almost secret-feeling world. The result is enthralling from the first moment to the final gorgeously shocking frame. If Rodeo is any indication, both she and her star Ledru have unbelievably bright futures ahead of them.
— Taylor Gates