National Anthem builds on Gilford’s natural, poetic, proudly queer, and bold photographic collection by offering us a modern queer Western that never feels the need to attach labels, instead celebrating the beauty, colour, transformation, and glorious diversity of the human experience of love.
Over recent years, our world has become increasingly polarised as politicians shift to the right, convincing people that the world is monochrome rather than a rich tapestry of colours and experiences. At the same time, social media has encouraged many to believe that one must hold an unmovable position on a range of issues and that anyone who disagrees or holds a slightly different perspective must be immediately brought down or cancelled. This polarisation of opinions and beliefs plays into the hands of those who seek to divide and rule and paints our human experience as a collection of fixed views and decisions that never change throughout our lives. We are told to choose who we are and what we want, and to stick to it, while knowing deep down that life is a journey with many unexpected detours.
In his debut feature, director Luke Gilford invites us to reevaluate the fixed labels we are often encouraged to adopt as the old West meets the new West in a rodeo drama about found family, healing, transformation, and the rich tapestry of human life, connection, and love that surrounds us.
Dylan, the always fantastic Charlie Plummer, lives an isolated life for someone so young. He cares for his little brother and his hairdresser mother (Robyn Lively), who shows little care for family life. When she comes home from local bars with a man in tow, Dylan and his brother are forced to sleep on the couch, while Dylan’s hard-earned money from casual labouring jobs keeps the household afloat.
Dylan is a young man who has never been allowed to have a life beyond work and care, and his mother is oblivious to her son’s need to fly free as he saves what money he can for a camper van that will enable him to spread his wings. But Dylan’s well-trodden path takes a welcome detour when he is picked up at a labour queue by a truck driver looking for manual workers to help at a ranch called the ‘House of Splendour’, a diverse community of people who celebrate their gender and sexual identities through love, companionship and rodeo. The House of Splendour is something new for Dylan: a community of love and support where differences are celebrated and central to community life.
As he works hard erecting fences, Dylan spots Sky (Eve Lindley), a beautiful, free-spirited rancher, and finds himself immediately drawn to their warm aura, mystery and beauty in a way he has never experienced before. But he is also aware that Sky is Pepe’s partner (Rene Rosado), the head of the ranch. You may be wondering, at this point, if Gilford’s National Anthem falls into a standard love triangle trap. However, while National Anthem indeed explores themes found in countless love triangle movies, Gilford’s movie achieves so much more.
Gilford and David Largman Murray’s exquisitely written and performed drama is also a coming-of-age love story, a journey of enlightenment, and a bittersweet celebration of diversity, friendship and love. As we follow Dylan, we see his world expand, his views on life, love, and companionship transform, and his self-belief and confidence bloom as the House of Splendour weaves its magic spell.
I have long said that Charlie Plummer is the River Phoenix of his generation, and watching his magnetic performance in National Anthem further cements my belief. Plummer can convey emotions through a single look or gesture, with each performance rooted in raw honesty. Watching Dylan unfurl like the petals of a flower in spring through the new connections, friendships and love he is offered is genuinely beautiful and deeply emotional. The House of Splendour becomes a family, a sanctuary, and the spark of enlightenment and hope Dylan and his younger brother need. They are Dylan’s found family.
©Luke Gilford
What enables Gilford’s National Anthem to find its voice is the fantastic ensemble cast surrounding Plummer and Eva Lindsey. From Mason Alexander Park’s caring mentor, Carrie, to Joey DeLeon as Dylan’s young brother and Rene Rosado’s supportive but blunt Pepe, this is a film that thrives on its natural performances and ability to pull the audience into the House of Splendor and the freedom, creativity, and joy it exudes as it rewrites, reframes and celebrates US Western queer culture. Add to this Katelin Arizmendi’s stunning expansive vistas, and you have a proudly queer Western that highlights a side of American queer culture rarely seen on screen.
In 2020, Gilford published his photographic study of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), a stunning collection of intimate, bold and beautiful portraits that captured queer rodeo in all its diversity and colour. Gilford’s photography encouraged us to question the stereotypes and fixed perspectives of American Western culture, which had been built over years of Hollywood Westerns, dramas, and novels.
National Anthem builds on Gilford’s natural, poetic, proudly queer, and bold photographic collection by offering us a modern queer Western that never feels the need to attach labels, instead celebrating the beauty, colour, transformation, and glorious diversity of the human experience of love. Life isn’t monochrome as many would like you to believe; it is a kaleidoscope of colourful opportunities, experiences, and connections.
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