Critics reviews

Bull has a documentary realism, but also a deep, unashamedly subjective empathy for the people it portrays.

Silverstein’s “Bull” handles hot-button issues with a cool eye and a calming tone.

The lumpiness of Bull doesn't negate the tenderness and observation that brings its world to life.

While one can respect Silverstein’s obvious distaste for phoniness and her doc-style readiness to just let people be, the result is a drama that doesn’t so much wrestle with its characters as acknowledge that they exist.

From the opening image of Abe’s dead chicken – killed by Kris’s dog – to the final lingering gaze at the two protagonists, Silverstein’s film is a masterclass in understated direction.

Silverstein stacks the deck awfully high — race relations, class tensions and the American opioid crisis all figure into the story — but her empathy and ability to settle into the silences between people buoy both the movie and you.