Filmmaker and director Kate Beecroft met Tabatha Zimiga after taking a wrong turn in South Dakota. She was looking for interesting stories to tell when she learned of the tattooed, cash-strapped rancher and her cadre of teen cowgirls who excel at rodeo and training the cast-off horses they hawk on TikTok. Ms. Zimiga, who carried on after losing her husband to suicide, struck Ms. Beecroft as a portrait of resilience. The director lived on the ranch for three years, capturing their stories on film. She sees “East of Wall” as all her “favorite bits” of Ms. Zimiga combined.
“She’s one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known and she’s incredibly instinctual,” says Ms. Beecroft in an interview. “None of these horses were movie horses. … If I needed the horse to do something like a stunt or ride bridleless or whatnot, Tabby did the training herself.”
Ms. Beecroft cast Jennifer Ehle (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Pride and Prejudice”), who portrays Ms. Zimiga’s protective mother; and Scoot McNairy (“A Complete Unknown,” “Argo”) as a fictional Texas rancher offering to buy Ms. Zimiga out. Local actors – and horses – all play themselves against the breathtaking landscape of the Badlands. Some of the scenes are scripted and some are improvised, creating an engrossing depiction of the new American West. Ms. Beecroft, Ms. Zimiga, and her daughter, Porshia, spoke with the Monitor via Zoom about their experiences making the film. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Why We Wrote This
Director Kate Beecroft lived with rancher Tabatha Zimiga, her daughter, and a cadre of teen cowgirls for three years. She describes documentary fiction as “an incredibly collaborative medium” and calls “East of Wall” all her “favorite bits” of Ms. Zimiga combined.
“East of Wall” has been described as a docufiction. What are the advantages you gain from mixing fictional and nonfictional elements in a feature film?
Kate Beecroft: I met Tabatha and her family, and I thought they were such compelling human beings – people that I wanted to see represented on film for so long. … So I lived with them and crafted a script from moments they’ve shared with me, and also moments that we experienced together. …
Documentary fiction is an incredibly collaborative medium. It was really important to me that these women have their fingerprints on this film as much as possible. So I was constantly asking them, “What do you think of this scene? How would you rewrite this? How would you shoot this moment of your life?”
How does docufiction help audiences connect with people from different backgrounds?
Kate Beecroft: People are really excited about new forms of storytelling. … We are desperately in need of more empathy in this world right now. We need more of the strength of women now more than ever. So to be able to showcase that in this film is very special.
“East of Wall” won an audience award at Sundance. What has been the most memorable feedback you’ve received?
Kate Beecroft: It was overwhelming. Right after we do a screening and then there’s women of all ages, even grown men, coming up … with tears in their eyes. It’s either their mother, [or] the strength that they’ve always seen in women, but they don’t see it on film. … People are like, well, I need my daughter to see this. … I loved being able to depict feral, wild teenage girls because you don’t see that in film. And so to be able to have that, I think a lot of people resonated that with their own kids.
The stereotypical cowboy is portrayed as a lone, rugged individual who fights against all odds. What do you hope “East of Wall” teaches viewers about the new American West?
Kate Beecroft: To see what Tabby goes through on a day-to-day basis is pretty remarkable, and I have nothing but respect for it. And it’s also exciting for the new West to have the face of women because, yes, there is a romanticized resurgence of cowboy films right now, but they’re all told through the voices of men. … Tabatha has this harder exterior because of what she’s had to go through. But when she’s the most vulnerable, I find her the strongest. So for her to be able to figure out how to … show it on the screen … just blows me away.
Tabatha Zimiga: When you come to my ranch, you’re going to see women branding and women dragging calves out to the fire. They cover every job.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Porshia, how did you learn to trust Bingo, a 16-year-old quarter horse, to keep you safe when you run him at speeds of 45 m.p.h.?
Porshia Zimiga: Well, I’ve had him for 11 years. My grandpa gave him to me after he bucked him off. There’s just a special bond between me and him. And that’s where our trust comes from.
Tabatha Zimiga: That horse was very difficult, though. … I remember first putting her on him and then thinking, “This is such a bad idea, he’s running with her.” There was a few times she didn’t get him stopped, but they survived the ordeal. … He loves Porshia. They’re best friends.
Tabatha, what did you learn about your daughter through this project?
Tabatha Zimiga: I’ve watched Porshia really grow. … [Acting] is something new, you know, she’s always rode horses and had the Western part of her life. But to watch your kid develop something else that they’re really good at and to watch her learn something like this and know that she has a future in trying something like this … it’s going to be really awesome to see.
Kate Beecroft: The first time I ever showed Tabby a little clip of Porshia’s voiceover … [she was] holding back tears because, yeah, it’s emotional to watch your child grow up. It’s even emotional for me. … She blew me away with the wisdom in her voice. It was like we were both proud moms.
What do you hope viewers will carry away with them after seeing “East of Wall”?
Kate Beecroft: I think people need to take more of a risk when creating art. We’re in a place where we’re constantly doing the same kind of cookie-cutter stuff, but I think people want to hear new stories and see new faces and relate to new talent. We need to support indie films and especially Westerns. Please go see this movie on a real screen!
“East of Wall” opens in theaters Aug. 15. It is rated R for language throughout.
