Another edgy, engaging, and gorgeously cinematic entry into the growing list of films about people who’ve made a name for themselves in physically demanding and inherently dangerous professions, documentarians Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt’s Space Cowboy examines the life, career, and – most importantly – personality of skydiving cinematographer Joe Jennings.
Diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and constantly teased at school (nicknamed “Joe Dirt” before that movie ever existed), Jennings paid his way through college by recording the jumps of people who went skydiving, with little more than a camcorder taped to his wrist. After being introduced to flinging himself out of planes by his then girlfriend, now wife Sissy, Joe parlayed this career not only into being a sought after mid-air cinematographer and technical innovator in his field, but also the closest collaborator of world champion sky surfer Rob Harris in the growing arena of extreme sports competitions.
Framed by Jennings’ ongoing attempts to find a way to jump an entire car full of fellow skydivers out of a cargo plane safely, Space Cowboy looks at the method and the madness of its subject. Jennings has a low key and warm personality for someone who goes to such extreme measures and has an obsession for throwing anything he can find out of a plane just to see how it will fall and photograph, but Strauch and Leavitt delve deeply and poignantly into the man’s personal side.
Jennings opens up about his struggles with depression (and unspoken PTSD), and never shies away from saying that he’s brought himself to places of extreme mental despair that only goes away when he’s jumping. There’s also a relatable thread where Jennings discusses his sense of imposter syndrome; never feeling cool in a profession where looking effortlessly fearless is part of the game.
But the main attraction here is being allowed to witness the danger and inherent beauty of Jennings’ job firsthand. Space Cowboy is a documentary that demands to be seen on the big screen for maximum thrills and emotional impact.
