San Francisco Cowboy

Like most SF residents, I love seeing my city in feature films. What made this one different from the others is that it was made by an immigrant from Pakistan, Hassan Zee, whose goal was to capture the City's soul for the benefit of non-American viewers who would want to start with a bigger picture like the one "Cabaret" offers of Munich in the 1930s. The plot point of a young man from Nevada seeking the mother who abandoned him at birth in the City by the Bay means the view is mostly limited to the city's dark and squalid side but somehow the menace doesn't feel quite real; even a trio of axe-wielding maniacs have the air of fraternity pranksters. The themes of forgiveness and redemption are overriding, especially in a surreal scene of Jesus consoling a repentant sinner. The earnest and determined male lead is upstaged by his own hat while the supporting male actor is a bipolar bundle of firecrackers and the female lead is by turns shifty, loving, and foolish. It makes for a very colorful array of lead characters, including San Francisco itself.

This film presents astonishing views of San Francisco, from Chinatown to Castro. As a long time San Francisco resident, I was delighted to see how the director portrayed the city. The cinematography had unique angels to make it very interesting. The characters in the films are real. You emotionally connect to them as you see the story unfold. The dialogues were fun and heartwarming. The character of Murphy got my attention, he is handsome, dynamic and versatile actor. I expect his film career will take off. The scenes he was in were very powerful. The character of Madam of Dallas hotel was corky and a good side kick. If you love Indie movies, you must see this one.

Great shots of San Francisco in this movie that really gives you a feel for the city. The colours and production design are well-thought out and add to the vibrancy of what the characters go through. San Francisco is of course a very vibrant city, so this mirrors this.

The sound is also great, it all comes together and works really well. (Personally bad sound can really ruin a movie for me.) Impressed with the multiple locations and energy of this film. The make-up also looks very good. The actors are going all out for it, really investing themselves in the storyline. Checked out the other films of this director and he is one to watch.

San Francisco Cowboy is a film of misfits trying to find themselves in the big city of San Francisco, as many of us are faced with when coming to make it in "a big city." Visually San Francisco Cowboy's cinematography is beautiful, full of colors, and exciting to watch for local landmarks: Castro, Powerhouse, Edinburgh Castle, Chinatown, Mt. Davidson, and more. Local Indy Director Dr. Zee did another job well done. I liked the touches of John Waters camp. And a huge round of applause to Bunny Stewart, Jimmy Darling, Dano Jason, Kristin Jacques, and all of the cast for their heart-felt performances in bringing the characters to life.

San Francisco Cowboy is more than just an entertaining movie, it's also a great promotional piece for San Francisco, featuring some of the City's best sights (you'll have to see the movie to know which ones). Emotions in the film run the gamut from sadness, to pleasure and ultimately joy with a true happy ending. Director Zee adds in a few interesting quirks reflective of his style in yet another successful departure from his prior works which focused on Indian/Pakistani themes. It's a refreshing story from an entertainment industry that prefers to rinse and repeat with old content rather than take risks with true creativity or storytelling. This movie has been accepted into several film festivals. You'll need to watch it so see why!