Review of Buck (2011) by Diane W — 14 Jun 2011

I'm a horse lover but wasn't sure whether a documentary about a real life horse whisperer was gonna be my thing. But I found it impossible not to be sucked in by Buckshot Brannaman. He is a strangely powerful individual and this film did a wonderful job capturing his magic.

This film is extremely emotional. They look back at Buck's early days with his older brother, Smokie--the youngest members of the rodeo circuit. On the surface, they were amazing talents, appearing in national ads. But at home, they were stuck in a nightmare that worsened when they lost their mother as young boys. Fortunately, the local sheriff rescued them and placed them in a loving foster home in time for them to start recovering from the abuse they suffered living with their father.

There was plenty of footage of Buck doing his work, interacting with his wife and daughter, and giving little anecdotes. But the most telling parts of the film was hearing how he touched other people. Robert Redford discusses how critical Buck was in the making of the film The Horse Whisperer, especially for an important scene with Scarlett Johannson.

One thing that was missing was any information about his brother. The film focuses on how Buck rechanneled his abusive past but was completely silent on the toll it took on his older brother. Beyond the footage of their younger days doing rope tricks, they showed no footage of Smokie until the closing credits when they showed a few shots of them throughout the years leading up to the present.

The most powerful moment in the film is when Buck is brought a horse that is extremely violent. This horse had a rough start--like Buck he lost his mother young, was deprived of oxygen at birth and because of things going on his owners life, never got properly socialized. Buck does his best to help the animal but he uses the experience to show others the importance of a proper approach from the beginning.

This film is much more than horses. It's about a better way of life.