I found myself mesmerized by this spare, affecting, and powerfully humane work that may seem quiet and reserved, but which ends up packing a surprisingly powerful emotional punch by the end.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 17, 2022

Hollyn and Colie’s experiences impress not as a spectacle but as a memory of a few seasons, with a wistful touch, before each moved on to her next station in life.

| Jun 16, 2022

Bitterbrush dispels a few enduring myths and stereotypes about the American West that media have perpetuated for ages. Indeed, this is neither Sam Elliott's vision nor Jane Campion's.

| Original Score: B | Jun 16, 2022

A captivating and meditative look at two intrepid young women surviving — and seasonally thriving — in a traditionally male-dominated field: cattle herding.

| Jun 15, 2022

It’s horse girl cinema, yes, but it’s also deeply human cinema as well.

| Jun 14, 2022

Mahdavian's nonfiction proposes something distinct: a subtle portrayal of non-sensational humanity.

| Original Score: B | Oct 4, 2021

With "Bitterbrush," Mahdavian announces herself as a filmmaker with a keen eye for capturing the contradictions and complexities of outsider women's lives.

| Original Score: B | Sep 23, 2021

Mahdavian does little to draw the young women out, missing a chance to explore why they chose this life and what they're made of.

| Sep 5, 2021

It poses piercing existential questions about purpose and independence, particularly for women choosing work that has long been deemed the exclusive province of men.

| Sep 5, 2021

A picturesque documentary that embraces the sweeping tradition of the Western genre.

| Sep 5, 2021