deadCENTER Film Festival Blogger Reviews

Static Blog - deadCenter Film Festival Opening Rides High With “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo”

Babbling Bear’s Blog - 9th Annual deadCENTER Film Festival is here

“Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo” another masterpiece by Bradley Beesley.

The Filmcake - Well Played deadCENTER. Well Played. posted by Dwight

Like in his previous films, Beesley wasn’t interested in lifting these people (in this case, female inmates of the OK Penitentiary) up as heroes or degrading them as villains. Instead, he presents them as unique, often complicated, individuals that just about everybody should be able to relate to. At the same time, he subtly asks us to reexamine our justice system and the war on drugs. Nice work, Beesley.

Two-Headed Blog - Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo posted by Sarah

Beesley has an amazing ability to take what could be easily mockable material (oh, look at the Okie backwoods hicks with their crazy noodling and their prison rodeos) and tell a great story while preserving the human dignity of his subjects. He’s always respectful, never smug or condescending. And in the process of entertaining us with a good tale, he gets us to really care about people we probably wouldn’t be inclined to empathize with ordinarily.