In his previous films, Bradley Beesley has turned a camera on subjects who are chafing at society’s strictures – catfish noodlers neigh-saying the rod-and-reel norm; those gonzo Flaming Lippers, kissing off radio rock – but in his latest, Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, his subjects are quite literally bucking – and behind bars.
Sweethearts, which premieres on Cinemax tomorrow, is an involving portrait of a group of very ballsy women, inmates of the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center who work all year toward one weekend of glory, when they compete in Oklahoma’s annual prison rodeo, which is open to the public. The film also follows several of the male inmates who compete, including Danny, a bullrider imprisoned for murder.
When we spoke with Beesley, an Austinite, back in the spring before Sweethearts premiered at SXSW 09, he recounted the conflicting emotions he felt while filming:
“The first interviews were with Danny, and I had no idea he was going to become a main character. And he was talking about, ‘just because you’ve killed in prison doesn’t mean you’re a murderer,’ and we’re thinking, really? Technically speaking, I think maybe it does. And then we kind of left the interview, because we shot the interview before any of the rodeo, and my dad was there, and I was just like, this is kind of creepy being in this prison and these people are murderers, and I don’t know if I want to be associated with them – like, I don’t know if want to spend 3 years of my life [on this subject].
“And then you see this guy Danny get on the bull and all of a sudden you’re like super-tense. He only rides for three seconds, but after that, he comes back, and I’m like high-fiving and hugging him, and I caught myself mid all this, and I’m like, Oh my god, this guy has killed someone…. And I’m like, eh. I don’t care. I’m caught up, I’m into it.”
Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo premieres Thursday, Sept. 17, on Cinemax. Check local listings for airdates.
This article appears in September 11 • 2009.
