Bryson’s Dream Job: Cowboy
While growing up, I spent a good portion of my childhood on my grandmother and grandfather’s farm. I used to ride in tractors with my grandfather while he tended to the crops. I loved taking care of all the animals. My favorite was the baby calves because you had to bottle feed them, it was the cutest thing. I loved living in a small town, everybody knew everyone, it was like having one big family. My favorite part was being away from everything. I loved being able to see the stars when I looked in the sky because there were no lights. In my opinion, it was the absolute best place to be a kid.
While a small town was a beautiful place to be a kid, not as much as a teenager. I was constantly being pushed into adopting my family’s beliefs. I spent pivotal years of my childhood listening to the people who were supposed to love me unconditionally say that they hated people that identified the same as I did. I started to resent my small town and farming. I could not wait to escape to a place where it did not feel like I was living under a microscope. The bigger the city that I am in, the more I miss living on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Not to say I hate big cities, because I do not mind them most of the time, I just always want to have a place to escape to.
Now you have the Bryson lore to fully understand how much it meant for me to watch a film like National Anthem. Out of all the amazing films that we could bring back, the one would be on the top of my list. It follows a 21-year-old, who lives in New Mexico. He works odds and ends jobs to provide for his mom and younger brother. While looking for a new gig he gets an offer from a ranch outside of town. It is not your typical southwest United States ranch, it is solely run by queer people. This group helps the main character find his identity in a much more accepting environment than at home.
Before seeing National Anthem I do not think I had ever seen such a good concept surrounded by queer identities, ranching, and family troubles. Seeing all these themes coexist in an environment like Frameline was a life changing experience for me. I have spent my entire life thinking I would always have to choose between being accepted in a big city or being hated by my family and friends. This film made me realize that it does not need to be my reality. Both things can coexist. I am a lot more optimistic about my future and what is feasible, which is not a bad thing with me graduating this year and everything. I picture myself in a relatively small town, not too far from a big city, probably on the east side of the country. I want a nice chunk of land, outside the town with a couple of shade trees, specifically a willow tree. It’s comforting to know that it is within my reach for the future. San Fransico has left me with once in a lifetime experiences, thank you for everything.
