As a child of the Midwest I remember donning my cowboy duds to go to the rodeo so I thought this would be familiar.  But, after preliminary interviews with executives and riders in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders, Inc.), I realized how different this event was from my warm and quaint memories of rodeo with its mythic Americana patina.

The PBR has remade this sport into a major business and its growth has paralleled America’s interest in show biz, danger, star power, and media.  Sponsors arrived, TV coverage is in 18 countries, fan magazines glorify top riders and breeders have enhanced the consistency and quality of the bucking bulls.  This has become a sport very much for today and the riders all embrace that idea.  I could see a broad story forming but the immediate problem, with 45 riders in the PBR, was to find our characters.

It was an easy call to focus on the leader—the charismatic two-time World Champion, Adriano Moraes—but the other 44 riders of the PBR were all over the map.  We gradually penetrated their laid back personalities and focused on about ten other cowboys.  When the third ranking rider, Justin McBride, broke his leg I followed him into surgery and when he refused to give up his spot in the finals a few weeks later, he emerged as a major character.  And when a quiet young rookie, Mike Lee, consistently rode brilliantly in the finals challenging Adriano and Justin, he became our third character.  The last half hour of BULLRIDER is a taut, action-packed finals with these three cowboys battling injury, pain, world-class bucking bulls, and distraction of the media for the $1,000,000 prize.  This is the new American myth.

But getting to the finals was a long road for us as we shot the whole season, so other themes weave into the film.  It was a surprise to find that many of the riders are Christians and that added a fascinating layer to this very American sport.  I wove their faith, the PBR ministers, and their blessings for riders and bulls alike into the mix.  A PBR minister says in the film, “there are no atheists in a foxhole” and, being the most dangerous sport on earth, it made perfect sense that many bull riders feel God has a plan for them.  This gives them courage and instills confidence.

Their knowledge that they would definitely get hurt sometime was another fascinating subtext and one that we followed through their dedicated orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tandy Freeman, who treats everything from bad cuts and bruises to life threatening near-catastrophic injuries in the course of BULLRIDER.

BULLRIDER is a unique view of America today seen by way of a backdoor look into mainstream sports, Christianity, money, and the entertainment business.  Hopefully, it’s both enlightening and hugely entertaining.

—BULLRIDER Director, Josh Aronson