Jaripeo

Every Christmas in Penjamillo, a town in Michoacán, the annual “jaripeo” – central Mexican rodeo – draws locals and returning US migrants alike for a nostalgic celebration of the masculine ideals of this rural Mexican state. But beneath the spectacle, another story emerges: fleeting touches, coded glances and secret hookups in the woods behind the arena reveal a hidden queer subculture shaped by this environment. Filmmaker Efraín, who grew up partly in Penjamillo, partly in Riverside, California, guides us through this world, blending personal memory, Super 8 images, stylised scenes and raw verité to question the very machismo which the jaripeo upholds. At the Christmas rodeo, they meet two other protagonists: Noé, a handsome and macho cowboy who is out to some of his family but who still lives largely in secrecy; and Joseph, a flamboyant diva and devoted jaripeo superfan who is cherished by his community. Through their interactions with them, Efraín embarks on a journey of self-recognition, creating layered, intimate portraits of three lives shaped by tradition, desire and identity.