SILVER

A fresh, feminist take on the familiar tale of a woman trying to make it a man's world, French filmmaker Lola Quivoron's fiery narrative feature debut is an action-infused genre mashup about a young woman from the Parisian banlieue who sets her sights on joining the city's underground world of "rodeos" — illegal gatherings where dirt bike riders show off their death-defying speed and stunts. Fiercely independent Julia (breakout star Julie Ledru, a real-life dirt bike rider Quivoron found on Instagram) is a loner motorbike fanatic who uses street smarts and wit to steal bikes from clueless online sellers. When she joins a dirt bike crew that doubles as a crime ring, flipping stolen vehicles for an imprisoned gangster, she finds a chosen family. But in striving to prove herself to the exclusively male group, she is faced with escalating demands that will make or break her place in the community. Blending high-octane action sequences with a social realist aesthetic that echoes the work of the Dardenne brothers and an effortless cool that evokes Nicolas Winding Refn, RODEO announces a bold new voice in French cinema. Winner, Jury Coup de Coeur – Un Certain Regard, 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Winner, Golden Puffin, New Visions Award, 2022 Reykjavík International Film Festival. Official Selection, 2022 Hamptons and London film festivals. DIR/SCR Lola Quivoron; PROD Charles Gillibert. France, 2022, color, 102 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.