The Knife Thrower’s Daughter is a documentary about the winding, surreal path of 74 year-old Mary Hurst, who grew up in a family of performers in a traveling Wild West Show, having chalk shot off her head and knives thrown at her from the tender age of 4.
What starts as a quirky account of life on the road in 1950s Appalachia slowly unravels, as Mary reveals the tragedy that snatched away her childhood.
At the same time, the documentary unfolds the story of her larger-than-life cowboy father, “Wild Bill” Cody, whose life was lived in the shadow of more famous figures in the worlds of Western entertainment and the Grand Ol’ Opry. As danger looms, the film provides a cautionary tale about the often thin line between performance and reality.
Eschewing a victimhood narrative, Mary finds escape through her connection to animals, recognizing a common experience of suffering.
As she dusts off her old bullwhip to perform her act one more time, the details of Mary’s life are accompanied by torn newspaper clippings, surreal animations, game-shows, mid-century archival ephemera, and a score of warped Americana by the legendary band Califone.