Pure Grit

This thrilling documentary from writer-director Kim Batley tells the story of a young Indigenous bareback horse racer who dreams of being a champion.

Price: $5.99 + taxes and fees

Sharmaine Weed ― a young Indigenous woman born in Wyoming on the Wind River Reservation ― quits bareback horse racing after her younger sister Charity is seriously injured on the track and left unable to care for her baby. As Sharmaine tends to her family, she also falls in love with Savannah, a runaway from Denver. The couple moves into Sharmaine’s cramped family home, but building a new life together while taking on the responsibilities that come with caring for Charity and her little girl proves challenging. They are surrounded by mental health and addiction issues, and with few jobs on the reserve, they struggle to make a living ― let alone enough for Sharmaine to buy a new horse in order to return to the sport she loves. But despite everything, Sharmaine is doggedly determined to become a champion.

Filmed over the course of three years, this documentary is both an intimate look into the struggles of one family and a thrilling introduction into the little-known, electrifying world of bareback horse racing.

Content advisory: violence, coarse language