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“Quantum Cowboys” plays with time the way a cat plays with a mouse. It could be described with equal energy as brilliant or as confusing. It is a ride you have to hold on for; things become clearer in the end but in the meanwhile, it can be tricky to get there.
For people like me, where themes around time concepts have a fascination and enjoyment all our lives, “Quantum Cowboys” is a delight with its new take on the theme. Essentially, the idea is time splits into different directions on every decision made and so nothing is real wherever you are in time. Except when a memory is captured in art, then it stays the same.
Two hapless drifters, Frank and Bruno (Kiowa Gordon and John Way), team with Linde (Lily Gladstone) to recover her land and trek across 1870s Southern Arizona to find an elusive frontier musician. The complex quantum time theory is blended with philosophical musings about art as the way we understand our history and memories, with gunfights, horses, dance halls, cacti and saloons.
The characters are likeable and engaging, despite their constant mutating – from live action to line drawing to Claymation and everything in between. Despite watching the men and woman change, they are always recognizable and strongly individual.
Ultimately, this is simply a Western, a hero’s journey and a good story. Have patience, get to the end, and you may be satisfied with the result. I was.
At 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, the Mesilla Valley Film Society welcomes writer/director Geoff Marslett and writer/composer Howe Gelb to the Fountain Theatre for a special screening of “Quantum Cowboys.”
In addition to Gordon, Way and Gladstone, the film stars David Arquette, Gary Farmer, Neko Case and John Doe.
Marslett is a film director, writer, producer, animator and actor. He also teaches cinema studies and moving image arts at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Gelb is a singer-songwriter and record producer. He has collaborated with Marslett on several projects and composed songs in “Quantum Cowboys.”
The event begins with a performance by Howe Gelb, followed by the film screening, then a discussion and Q&A at the Fountain Theatre, 2469 Calle De Guadalupe in Mesilla. Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for MVFS members.
“Quantum Cowboys” will continue at the Fountain Theatre through Thursday, Nov. 10. Tickets are available at mesillavalleyfilm.org and at the theatre.
