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In the words of Willie Nelson, “Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.” Despite his warning, mommas shouldn’t be worried because the age of the cowboys doesn’t exist anymore. And nowhere is this more exemplified than in the sheep ranching documentary Sweetgrass.

Filmed between 2001-2003, Sweetgrass delivers an unremarkable look at the last sheep drive through the rugged, yet breathtakingly beautiful Beartooth Mountains of Montana. Before the 150-mile drive of 3,000 sheep begins, we bear witness to the backbreaking work of sheering sheep, which is oddly done in winter, and the time-demanding efforts of lambing.

After driving their herd through narrow forest passes and treacherous rocky slopes, sheep herders John Ahorn and Pat Connelly reach the broad green valleys that their sheep will graze on for several weeks. Bears, weather and injuries present constant challenges to the two men as they struggle to keep the herd intact.

John is the typical wizened, Marlboro smoking cowboy who likes to sing old cowboy songs while on horseback. Pat gets excited over arrowheads, yells hilarious profanity-laden tirades against the sheep, and literally cries to his momma on his cell phone.

Sweetgrass was made by husband-and-wife anthropologists Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor; and their lack of filmmaking talent shows. Their film is devoid of narration, music and soul. For example, instead of presenting us with insightful conversations between the two men, we see them mostly sitting around in silence. In fact, most of the dialogue between human beings in Sweetgrass comes in the form of half-garbled squawks via walkie-talkies.

Sure, we get a hint of the rugged lifestyle that cowboys used to lead, but it’s nothing more than that. You can get a much better grasp of it by looking at a western-themed cigarette ad in a magazine at the dentist’s office.

Of course the icing on the cake is the ever present “baaaaaas” of the sheep. It’s worse than the horns that are constantly being blown during World Cup soccer matches in South Africa. I’m sorry Dr. Lecter, I can still hear the lambs crying in the night.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Sweetgrass receives a C-.
    
Sweetgrass is unrated and has a running time of 101 minutes.

Now showing through June 17 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for show times.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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