When Jo and his father disappear in the middle of the night, his mother calls the police and soon there is a search party out looking for him. Born a girl, Jo knows he is a boy and only his father seems to understand him. But his father has his own his issues to deal with, taking pills to help his mental health, he just wants his son to be happy. But choosing to take drastic measures to ensure that, doesn’t always end well.
Transgender children have been a more recent topic of conversation, in magazines, newspapers, TV shows, documentaries and of course all-over social media. The debate whether children should be allowed to transition at a young age still goes on and varies from country to country. But the first step before all this is the child coming forward and saying they are transgender. Various films over the recent years have created stories around this subject but there hasn’t be one (that I can think of) that has the father of a transgender child escape into the wilderness so that they can protect them. Cowboys is a story about Jo and his parents, Troy and Sally and how they act.
Sasha Knight who plays Jo is a revelation. Comfortably fitting into the character and finding the vulnerable and joyful aspects. The most tender and heartfelt stand out moments in the film are definitely between Knight and Steve Zahn who plays Troy. The chemistry between the actors is what makes this film a delight to watch. Jillian Bell also shows she isn’t just a comedy actress as Jo’s distraught mother, Sally.
The desperate nature of both Troy and Sally and trying to understand who they are is given equal time on screen as well as Jo’s own story. Although we learn through fragmented flashback scenes as to how the father and son ended up on the run, on horseback in the wilderness, we never really see Jo’s quieter moments or his journey to how he knew he was a boy in a girl’s body. All of this is off screen and we are shown him uncomfortable in dresses and arguments with his mother. These would have been vital scenes if this was just about Jo but as this was about an action with consequences, Jo’s personal journey is not included in the story.