Digital video has made independent
filmmaking cheaper and easier than ever before. But while the format's
flexibility and low cost have helped further democratize independent film, many
subjects remain ill-served by its often shaky, sometimes headache-inducing
visuals. A good example is horse racing, a lush, photogenic spectacle rendered
infinitely less so by the digital video of the Hennegan brothers' otherwise
winning documentary The First Saturday In May. Chronicling the excess and exquisite
ceremony of the Kentucky Derby in shitty digital video is like releasing a
coffee-table book of the Sistine Chapel photographed exclusively with cheap
disposable cameras.
The First Saturday In May follows six trainers and their
horses as they angle for a slot at the Kentucky Derby. The contenders include a
fast-talking, archetypal New York character whose working-class patter defies
the popular notion of horse racing as the realm of kings and bluebloods, and
the trainer of Barbaro, the legendary horse that raced into history and
tragedy. Given Barbaro's spectacular, widely documented rise and fall, the
outcome of the big race is never in question, but May is more concerned with savoring
small moments of laconic humor and gentle humanity than the ultimate outcome of
the race.
May uses the quirks and well-worn
traditions of horse racing as a vehicle to quietly explore idiosyncrasies of
the human condition. The Hennegans present a surprisingly broad cross-section
of people, from a soft-spoken veteran horse trainer with multiple sclerosis who
toils proudly for the Dubai royal family to a wheelchair-bound perfectionist
with a gaggle of precocious sons for whom a Derby win would mean not just fame
and fortune, but also kick-ass new skateboards. May takes its sweet time getting to the
big day, but that eventually works in its favor, since the filmmakers are
ultimately more concerned with the journey than the destination. In the
Hennegans' affable, engaging love letter to everything equine and
tradition-bound, getting there is way more than half the fun.