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Stop the Pounding Heart2013

Documentary
American
1hr 41m
Directed by Roberto Minervini

3.8
passes the bechdel test

Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known. In a stunning portrayal of contemporary America and the insular communities that dot its landscape, STOP THE POUNDING HEART is an exploration of adolescence, family and social values, gender roles and religion in the rural American South.

Recognition

2013 Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival

CPH: DOX Award - Honorable Mention

What makes this film worth watching? See All Reviews

1 member likes this review

Powerful film. An intimate portrait of family, faith, work, and coming of age. The camera became my eyes, enabling me to observe a slice of America amidst a reality foreign to me, yet made familiar by the unobtrusive care of Minervini's presence. The scene of Sara and her mother in prayer was nearly perfect in composition and execution. The final scene, a taking off metaphor, was apt and resounding. Keep making these films Roberto. You are great.