Mary Margaret Road-Grader

In writer/director Steven Paul Judd’s adaptation of Howard Waldrop’s 1976 sci-fi short story, Mary Margaret Road-Grader transports us to a post-apocalyptic Indigenous world. Stakes are high for a new and controversial contender as she fights for her place amidst changing traditions.

We open on a quiet night around a crackling fire. An elder, Billy Bob, is reminiscing of changing times to members of his village. Fading into his memories, he recounts “the day she came into our lives”.

We are quickly transported to our barren, post-apocalyptic desert landscape in which car culture rules all. A younger Billy Bob and his right hand man, Freddy-in-the-Hollow, pull up and through a bustling marketplace at the Fossil Creek compound, where this year’s ceremonial Tractor Pulls will take place. They set up shop among the many other vendors hawking their goods: batteries, Native clothing, Indian tacos, used auto parts.

It’s anyone’s guess who might show up to compete this year, but as with all great sports of spectacle, bets are being placed. An unexpected newcomer, Mary Margaret, arrives on the scene. As “the Pulls” are a contest historically reserved for men, the Council meets to decide if Mary Margaret can enter. While one renowned competitor, Simon Red Bulldozer, is interested in the challenge, Elmo Deere, the established G.O.A.T of the sport, is disgusted. The Council votes in her favor.

The pulls commence! Crowds roar as we move through each competition. Larger-than-life vehicles, each with their own unique amalgamation of salvaged and mismatched parts, tear away at the land. Competitor’s planks move up and off our leaderboard and one puller after another is eliminated, including Elmo Deere who is bested by Mary Margaret. Our final match pits Mary Margaret against Simon Red Bulldozer.

After hours of battle over two days, the competition is suddenly halted when a bullet flies through Mary Margaret’s windshield. Billy Bob spots the source from the bleachers: a humiliated and vengeful Elmo Deere is firing from a watchtower. Billy Bob and Freddy rush into the arena, joining Mary Margaret in the gunfight. Mary Margaret takes a hit and falls to the ground. Billy Bob takes Elmo out, and runs to a bloodied Mary Margaret who is barely able to muster the only question on her mind: “Did I win?”.

The ceremonies end, and the people of Fossil Creek disperse across the dusty desert landscape once again. Billy Bob returns to Mary Margaret’s Village, where we fast forward to their idyllic life together. We end our film pulling back from the rusted, abandoned Road-Grader: a snapshot of a turning point in our character’s histories.