Tracing Cowboys

Genre: Drama/Romance
Directed by: Jason Wulfsohn
Cast: Megan Edwards, Eileen Dietz, Sacha Grunpeter, P. David Miller, Ana Alvarez
Country: United States
Duration: 94’
Year of Production: 2008

Tracing Cowboys is about two people’s search for their own identity whilst leading lives apart from one another. It’s a story about self-deception as well as self-discovery, about honesty but also betrayal of yourself and others.

Ethan is a young Englishman obsessed with his hero, John Wayne, and intent on becoming a Country and Western singer. When his girlfriend, Debi, leaves without explanation, Ethan travels down to Mexico during the festival of the Day of the Dead intent on finding her. The only map he has is contained within photographs Debi has taken during her journey. While this strange and mystical land holds many hard lessons for Ethan, the answers to his quest seem to always remain one elusive step beyond his grasp. That is until the trail left by Debi’s photos point Ethan toward the film’s surprising and dramatic conclusion.

Ultimately, Tracing Cowboys is about the search for what is really important in life and an examination of the contradictions that exist between two adjacent cultures. The film traces a route from the cosmopolitan artifice of Los Angeles down the Baja Peninsular, to the simpler authenticity of the Mexican desert. On this journey we explore the indigenous traditions of love, life, and death. A haunting and poetic romance where nothing is as it seems between the two lovers.