Director Courtney Hoffman is redefining the Western genre for women. Starring Big Little Lies's Laura Dern and Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat, The Good Time Girls — Hoffman's Refinery29 Shatterbox Anthology debut — unfolds as a fearless portrait of brutality and revenge. Set deep in a tumbleweed-strewn desert, the film focuses on one wronged group of women's thirst to get even with the notorious Rufus Black Gang — a roving band of murderous, pistol-swinging criminals. Lured to the women's sweat-drenched brothel, the Rufus Black Gang has no reason to suspect the coming calamity. And while we don't want to give away too many details about the ladies' seriously kickass rifle-slinging skills, Hoffman's The Good Time Girls definitely feels like a Shakespearean tragedy with a feminist wink.
Even if the Rufus Black Gang leaves a trademark trail of bloodshed wherever they go, Dern's crew of unbreakable sex workers proves that female characters are done sitting demurely on the sidelines of the outlaw's iconic battlefield. Hoffman, who garnered Hollywood acclaim for her work as a costume designer on 2016's Captain Fantastic and Quentin Tarantino's chilling The Hateful Eight, delivers a captivating look at how the Western can, and should, change. Catch the teaser above — trust us, you've never seen a cowboy movie like this one.
The Good Time Girls debuts on Refinery29 UK at 5pm BST on Wednesday 2nd August.