The narrative unfolds in very broad strokes and you can tell that director Luke Gilford has a background in music videos (the magic hour is omnipresent, while wispy hair dominates the extreme close-ups), but National Anthem still manages to establish its own unique identity by intimately portraying an identity in flux. Dylan (Charlie Plummer) strings together construction jobs in New Mexico to support his irresponsible mother and younger brother, but he longs for something more. He’s not quite sure what, until he picks up work at a ranch that’s something of a commune for queer rodeo performers, including Sky (Eve Lindley), a trans woman with whom he becomes smitten. Plummer, so good in Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete (another horse movie of a sort), shines here, especially in one of those final shots that holds on an actor’s face and asks them to seal the movie’s deal. Plummer does, with flying colors.
(11/15/2024)
