John C. Reilly plays Buffalo Bill at the intersection of myth and contradiction
In the years between 1890 and 1906, Buffalo Bill brought his show to Europe and visited Italy twice, stopping in Rome. One of these trips featured a legendary challenge between his cowboys and the local butteri, skilled horse tamers, symbol of the Italian agricultural tradition. This legendary event provided the source material for Heads or Tails?, a film that subverts the rules of the classic Western using them as a tool to examine the present-day.
Directors Matteo Zoppis and Alessio de Righi bring a story to the big screen that crosses genres, breaks down archetypes and focusses on fragile, human, living characters, amidst invention and reality, American myth and Italian identity. The film, supported by the Region of Tuscany , was presented in competition at Cannes in Un Certain Regard.
Locations
The filming took place around Arezzo and Massa Carrara for two weeks in 2024. Among the locations chosen for the setting of some scenes were the Marena Farm in Bibbiena, the San Giuliano station in Arezzo, the Renara torrent in Massa.
