Set In Montana, Family Drama 'Cowboys' Begins Streaming Friday

MISSOULA, Mont. (Feb. 11, 2021) — Steve Zahn and Jillian Bell star in the heartfelt Western-style drama “Cowboys,” premiering in virtual cinemas and VOD tomorrow. The pair plays parents of a transgender boy who is tired of wearing dresses and being called Josie.

Joe (Sasha Knight) feels misunderstood by his mother and idolizes his father, leading to a rift in the family that causes Troy (Zahn) to take him away into the Montana wilderness, away from Sally (Bell) and her best efforts to persuade her son to play with dolls and wear pink.

Beautiful Flathead Valley provides the backdrop for Joe and Troy’s “adventure,” which leads to an amber alert and widespread search for the young boy back home, led by Emmy winner Ann Dowd’s determined detective.

Themes of family, acceptance and the importance of living authentically outline the beautifully-realized second feature from writer-director Anna Kerrigan. Her Tribeca Film Festival award-winning screenplay constructs a compelling story about love and the lengths people go to protect it - with Montana providing a fitting backdrop for the story.

“Growing up, I had spent my summers in Montana with my best friend’s family. I just fell in love with it,” Kerrigan told Cinema Femme Magazine last spring. “I grew up in LA, and I was pretty much a city girl. Montana, to me, was kind of like this American fantasy. It was so beautiful. I thought the people were so nice, and the towns were so quaint. It satisfied this itch that I didn’t even know I had when I was younger.”

Director of Photography John Wakayama Carey beautifully highlights the area’s scenic natural landscape. ABC FOX Montana also reported the movie filming at North Valley Hospital, Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, Sykes Diner and more local areas in 2019.

It’s not surprising that Zahn won Tribeca’s Best Actor award for his performance as Troy, whose personal struggles sometimes cloud his best intentions to help his son live the way he wants. Bell has carved out an exceptionally diverse career blending humor and heart the past few years, and she is subtle and understated as Sally, a mother constricted by gender norms - and her genuine belief that her child loves his father more than her.

What unfolds is an emotionally-sound and realistic story, set against Montana’s unique cities and breathtaking views.