Céline Roustan
Documentary can be a very powerful medium to raise awareness on topical issues, it can also capture the simple beauty of life with warmth and tenderness! This is exactly what director and S/W alum Dawn Luebbe (Greener Grass, The Arrival) does with her 2022 SXSW short documentary Dress A Cow. Transporting us to Ohio’s Canfield County Fair, she invites us to an event that shares its name with the film, introducing us to the local community and of course to the true stars of the show (and the film), the cows!
“I have always been drawn to stories that celebrate the majesty of the mundane”
“When I first heard about the Dress A Cow event, I was instantly enthralled”, Luebbe confessed. In addition to having grandparents who had a dairy farm, thus developing a “certain affinity for cows”, as a storyteller she gravitates towards “stories that celebrate the majesty of the mundane”. This county fair’s tradition obviously combines those two elements perfectly.
By setting the scene, painting the surroundings, introducing us to the community and echoing the atmosphere and genuine excitement related to the Dress A Cow event, Luebbe truly immerses us in the occassion. Oddly, it feels like a benevolent pageant celebrating humor and cows! And while the competition can be seen as silly or absurd, what Luebbe’s camera captures is the beauty and charm of it all.
A tradition that dates back almost forty years, Luebbe’s interviews echo the importance it has within the community, and explains their attachment to the event and their fondness, love and respect for the cows. Each participant openly shares with the camera what it means to them to share that experience year after year with their cows. With its immersive nature, it really does feel like Luebbe took us to Ohio and is now just showing us around.
“I hope the film reflects the genuine respect and admiration I have for the event and those involved, human and bovine, alike” – director Dawn Luebbe
While it is a competition, the editing does not use that to build the structure of the film. It is rather meditative, as if Luebbe follows a more emotional approach when structuring her story. The stakes come from the excitement of the participants, rather than the actual results of the competition and their passion for the cows is surprisingly moving and engaging
DP Jared Levy does an incredible job with the cinematography. From the framing to the color palette, the visual aesthetic of the film is captivating and complements the energy present at the fair perfectly. The vivid colors are incredibly pleasing and help to recreate the aforementioned excitement of the community, while the framing is truly remarkable, every frame could be a photograph. I especially liked the “reveal” of the cows’ costumes, which had a touch of humor, but also paint sthem as those majestic creatures. And truthfully, I have to admit that I too was genuinely excited to see them, as if I was in that barn, surrounded by all those people, cheering them on.