Phantom Cowboys

Part time capsule, part folk song, Phantom Cowboys follows three teenage boys as they approach adulthood in vastly different parts of the United States. Moving fluidly between the deserts of California, the valleys of West Virginia, and the sugarcane fields of Florida, the film explores the lives of these young men during two formative periods—transitioning forward and backward in time over a span of eight years. Larry, Nick, and Ty navigate their teenage and early-adult years through a series of interconnected vignettes, candidly narrated in their own words. The film’s unique structure—inspired by human memory—results in a striking meditation on youth, tradition, and the evolving hopes and dreams of modern adolescence.