Plot
Sara, a girl being home-schooled on a goat farm alongside her 11 siblings, finds her devout values challenged after she meets Colby, an amateur bull rider.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.1/10 (318 voted)
Critic's Score: /100
Director: Roberto Minervini
Stars: Sara Carlson, Colby Trichell, Tim Carlson
Storyline
Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known. In a stunning portrayal of contemporary America and the insular communities that dot its landscape, Stop the Pounding Heart is an exploration of adolescence, family and social values, gender roles, and religion in the rural American South.
Writers: Roberto Minervini, Roberto Minervini
Cast: Sara Carlson -
Sara
Colby Trichell -
Colby
Tim Carlson -
Tim
LeeAnne Carlson -
LeeAnn
Katarina Carlson -
Katarina
Christin Carlson -
Christin
Grace Carlson -
Grace
Linnea Carlson -
Linnea
Emma Carlson -
Emma
Timothy Carlson -
Timothy
Liberty Carlson -
Liberty
Noah Carlson -
Noah
Judah Carlson -
Judah
Seth Carlson -
Seth
Dixie Carlson -
Dixie
"Stop the Pounding Heart" is a dramatic title for such a quiet, gentle,
observant film. The filmmakers offer no real plot to speak of, but
instead simply follow the daily life of Sara, a 14-year old girl raised
on farm in Texas by a devotedly Christian family. With absolute
naturalism, the film observes the details of her life: Sara going about
her chores, attending family prayer time and Bible studies, helping to
home school the many siblings, watching an actual home birth,
practicing shooting with her father. We hear her parent's words as they
teach the Bible and talk with deep sincerity of marriage, a woman's
"Biblical" role as subservient to the husband, and abstinence before
marriage. We see the family visiting the local rodeo and the young bull
rider that catches Sara's eye. We slowly, very slowly, observe
discontent rising up in Sara's heart.
Having been personally raised in a Christian family, and near
communities of home schoolers, I have never witnessed such an authentic
portrayal of these types of beliefs and this very specific type of
American faith. The insider language and internal logic of this
community feel absolutely genuine at every moment. The acting is so
natural that I'm convinced the players were cast from within that type
of community. The people on the farm are absolutely kind, but also
insular and self-reinforcing. The film does not judge, but simply
observes and ponders. We can understand the pull of such a loving place
with so many answers and so many people who all believe the same way.
We can also understand the suffocation.
While I found the details of the film fascinating to watch, the film
offers little else but those details. It watches, and we watch, and
hopefully we ponder with it, but those seeking narrative momentum will
be left unsatisfied. Those seeking reflection and observation will come
away full.
0