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"The Rider"
Apr. 25th, 2021 11:58 pmThe Rider - 2018 - Dir. Chloé Zhao. Source: library
It was interesting watching this just after "Sound of Metal" because they are similar thematically: both are about young men whose lives change after an injury, and who have to wrestle with their identity.
"The Rider" features non-professional actors playing a story that is close to their lives. It feels very authentic. Brady lives in Pine Ridge, South Dakota (an Indian Reservation), with his father and sister. He has just been injured with a TBI (traumatic brain injury) from bronco riding. He has to give up the rodeo, and he turns to training horses.
Not much happens in this film; it's mostly about Brady's emotions, his relationships, and the setting. The parts where he trains horses were my favorite: he uses a "horse whisperer" technique which is just amazing to watch. Some people have that ability and can tame a green horse in a matter of hours. It is incredible.
I liked that other disabled people are featured: Brady's friend Lane is in a rehab facility after some sort of severe injury. A minor character has a hook for a hand. Brady's sister Lilly has autism.
What I didn't like was how sad this movie is. For instance his father sells Brady's beloved horse Gus. So Brady buys a new horse, Apollo, and trains him up. Then Apollo gets injured and has to be euthanized. This all just seems unnecessarily bleak.
I watched a bit of the Q and A and they talk about how beautiful it is in Western South Dakota. I have a bunch of family in Eastern South Dakota so I've been there many times. Certain members of my family love it, they love the openness and the big sky. I never liked it much, maybe because of the conservative culture, but also it just feels lonely to me. There are very few trees, very few hills. It's an ocean of grass. Which is to say, I do bring some baggage to this film. My brother R. participated in high school rodeo for a bit, but my parents forbid him from riding broncs (bucking horses) because it's so dangerous. I realize young people (young men especially) sometimes thrill seek, but it seems like such a waste of potential to put these young men in this situation. Brady in particular has this gift with horses, with gentling them, why would he want to ride broncos? Probably because all his friends do, the whole culture glorifies it; there's travel, money, friendships, and fame. Note also that bronco riding is supposedly based, traditionally, on breaking horses: an old-school way of getting green horses trained by just getting on them and letting them buck. It just seems like a disconnect that is not commented upon or explored-- his gentle way with horses vs. this rough way.
The film does comment on this culture a bit. Brady's dad is telling him to rest, to accept his fate; and Brady pushes back and says "What ever happened to 'man up'?" These boys are taught to struggle through pain and not complain. It's hard to go against a life time of that kind of training.
Tonight the director of this won an Oscar for her film "Nomadland," which I will watch soon.
It was interesting watching this just after "Sound of Metal" because they are similar thematically: both are about young men whose lives change after an injury, and who have to wrestle with their identity.
"The Rider" features non-professional actors playing a story that is close to their lives. It feels very authentic. Brady lives in Pine Ridge, South Dakota (an Indian Reservation), with his father and sister. He has just been injured with a TBI (traumatic brain injury) from bronco riding. He has to give up the rodeo, and he turns to training horses.
Not much happens in this film; it's mostly about Brady's emotions, his relationships, and the setting. The parts where he trains horses were my favorite: he uses a "horse whisperer" technique which is just amazing to watch. Some people have that ability and can tame a green horse in a matter of hours. It is incredible.
I liked that other disabled people are featured: Brady's friend Lane is in a rehab facility after some sort of severe injury. A minor character has a hook for a hand. Brady's sister Lilly has autism.
What I didn't like was how sad this movie is. For instance his father sells Brady's beloved horse Gus. So Brady buys a new horse, Apollo, and trains him up. Then Apollo gets injured and has to be euthanized. This all just seems unnecessarily bleak.
I watched a bit of the Q and A and they talk about how beautiful it is in Western South Dakota. I have a bunch of family in Eastern South Dakota so I've been there many times. Certain members of my family love it, they love the openness and the big sky. I never liked it much, maybe because of the conservative culture, but also it just feels lonely to me. There are very few trees, very few hills. It's an ocean of grass. Which is to say, I do bring some baggage to this film. My brother R. participated in high school rodeo for a bit, but my parents forbid him from riding broncs (bucking horses) because it's so dangerous. I realize young people (young men especially) sometimes thrill seek, but it seems like such a waste of potential to put these young men in this situation. Brady in particular has this gift with horses, with gentling them, why would he want to ride broncos? Probably because all his friends do, the whole culture glorifies it; there's travel, money, friendships, and fame. Note also that bronco riding is supposedly based, traditionally, on breaking horses: an old-school way of getting green horses trained by just getting on them and letting them buck. It just seems like a disconnect that is not commented upon or explored-- his gentle way with horses vs. this rough way.
The film does comment on this culture a bit. Brady's dad is telling him to rest, to accept his fate; and Brady pushes back and says "What ever happened to 'man up'?" These boys are taught to struggle through pain and not complain. It's hard to go against a life time of that kind of training.
Tonight the director of this won an Oscar for her film "Nomadland," which I will watch soon.
