Jaripeo
Efraín Mojica & Rebecca Zweig / United States, Mexico & United Kingdom / 2026 / 71 min
Behind the hypermasculine rituals of a Mexican rodeo show a hidden queer desire pulsates. A festival hit about performative masculinity and the longings of the subconscious.
Every year, hundreds of Mexicans gather for the annual jaripeo, a traditional rodeo show, to celebrate masculinity. Adrenaline pumps through the blood, and the air is thick with testosterone: we’re talking full throttle with rodeo bulls, cowboy hats, and Levi’s jeans. But beneath the surface of the spectacle lies a queer subculture of hidden glances, fleeting touches, and secret meetings in the cornfields far from the hypermasculine arena.
Through Super 8 footage, stylized scenes, and raw vérité, directors Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig invite us into a world full of contradictions, where queerness and machismo go hand in hand. We meet macho cowboys who have come out of the closet and a flamboyant diva who effortlessly takes the bull by the horns. Jaripeo is a sensual exploration of performative masculinity, secret desires, and the longings that breathe beneath the surface of a rodeo show.
