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Independently financed American genre films rarely arrive without scars. In the case of “Cowboy,” Nathan Grubbs’ directorial debut, which bowed at London’s Raindance Film Festival, the struggle to get the film made became almost inseparable from the story being told.
Produced through Rubicon Entertainment, the contemporary Southern noir Western was constructed incrementally, with Grubbs serving as director and lead actor and Joshua Ryan Dietz, Jeff Hoffman and Chris Sivertson penning the screenplay. Rather than waiting for a conventional financing package to fall into place, he and a tight group of collaborators began shooting, proving the film’s possibilities chapter by chapter.
“The biggest challenge in assembling the financing was honestly myself,” Grubbs told Variety. “I had to become this character, put on the cowboy boots, and bet on myself – in many ways, bet the farm.”
Production stretched across more than a year, requiring actors to return for multiple shoots while the filmmakers protected continuity, replaced lost locations and worked across a fragmented schedule.
“A few friends and I took a tremendous risk, shooting the film chapter by chapter and building momentum as we went,” Grubbs explained. “When people saw what we were accomplishing with very little money, the excitement grew.”
That piecemeal process mirrors the film’s preoccupation with survival. “Cowboy” relocates the Western to New Orleans, where veteran Juno turns to robbery before a failed heist sends him to prison. After his release, he takes a job under a false name at the horse ranch he once targeted and forms a relationship with Eve, played by Alexandra Essoe, who was blinded during the crime.
The film was initially conceived for California. Early versions placed its city passages in downtown Los Angeles and imagined a major chase unfolding through the concrete basin of the iconic L.A. River.
“I liked the metaphor of someone at their lowest point, literally at the bottom of the river, and then within a short distance, reaching mountains, countryside, horses, and open space,” Grubbs said.
Once the production shifted to Louisiana, however, the project developed a more personal and distinctive visual identity. Railroad tracks took the place of the river; ranches, live oaks and Spanish moss replaced California’s mountains and open scrubland. “Louisiana changed the visual language, but in a beautiful way,” he said. “It gave the film a unique identity, and because I’m from Louisiana, it became deeply personal.”
That connection also shaped Grubbs’ decision to direct. He had originally intended only to play the central role, but years of delays, shifting schedules and the disruption of the pandemic gradually made him the project’s principal custodian.
“Over time, I became the person most responsible for protecting the film’s vision and carrying it all the way through,” he explained. “If there were pickup shots or unfinished pieces, I knew I would keep showing up. That responsibility ultimately led me to direct as well.”
Grubbs cites Sam Peckinpah, the Coen brothers and Jacques Audiard as key influences, particularly in their handling of moral ambiguity, atmosphere and crime. Yet “Cowboy” is less an exercise in genre quotation than an attempt to translate those traditions into a specifically Southern landscape.
“The goal was never imitation,” he said. “It was to honor the films that shaped me while still making something personal and rooted in my own experience.”
Limited resources were offset by local support. Louisiana residents provided locations at reduced rates or for free, while volunteers and working rodeo cowboys helped construct the physical world of the film. Grubbs built a horse corral alongside a friend; professional rodeo cowboys assembled the rodeo sequence with speed and authenticity.
“People there really do bend over backwards to help a local filmmaker achieve something meaningful,” he said. “… That kind of support kept motivating us to keep going.”
The experience also gave Grubbs a deeper appreciation of the demands placed on actor-directors. During production, he revisited “Citizen Kane,” “Dances With Wolves,” “Easy Rider” and “Unforgiven” — not as direct comparisons, he stressed, but as examples of filmmakers assuming complete responsibility for a project. “Making ‘Cowboy’ gave me a deeper respect for how difficult that is, and how rewarding it can be when the film truly comes from a personal place.”
“Cowboy” had its U.K. premiere at the recent Raindance Film Festival. For Grubbs, the festival’s enduring commitment to independent filmmaking made it a particularly apt launchpad.
“The most important thing is that the film is finished and can now be seen,” he said.
He already has three further features in development, including a science-fiction psychological thriller. On some, he may continue acting and directing; others could move him more firmly behind the camera. “Making ‘Cowboy’ reinforced my desire to tell stories that are emotional, cinematic, and personal,” he said. “If I’m able to make these next three films, that would be a dream come true.”
English (US) ·