“As a homosexual woman, I’ve felt oppressed by society’s violence”: Lola Quivoron and Julie Ledru on Rodeo

Rodeo is the feature debut from French writer-director Lola Quivoron, which not only played in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2022 but picked up the Coup de Coeur prize. Her genre-defying film stars first-time actress and real-life biker Julie Ledru as Julia, a fierce and fearless woman passionate about “urban rodeos” who finds herself in a man’s world in the suburbs of Paris as she seeks to ingratiate herself in a gang of dirt bike riders. That Quivoron spent years seeking to understand this underground community – indeed, she already based her short Au Loin, Baltimore in the setting – is palpable on-screen, with her adventurous and bold take on a Western, infused with grease and the growling of engines.

The Upcoming sat down with the filmmaker and her star during Cannes to hear about the allure of the hyper-masculine motocross world, Quirvron’s relationship with Ledru and how the movie explores gender, class and identity. 

Sarah Bradbury

Rodeo is released in UK cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema on 28^th April 2023. Read our five-star review here.

Watch the trailer for Rodeo here: