Review of The Rider (2018) by Wayne M — 02 Jan 2019
The Rider is an exquisitely beautiful film, a film of such striking honesty that it will take your breath away. Authenticity is quite often an overused description in the film world, but in this superb film it is totally warranted.
The film exudes authenticity to a startling degree. It's a simple story but one that is extremely well told. Writer-director Chloe Zhao has delved into the wilds of South Dakota to tell the story of Brady, a rodeo rider recovering from a serious head injury.
Brady is basically played by himself, a non actor. Most of the story is true, based on his own experiences. In fact his real life father and sister play themselves in the film. Brady is born to ride but the injury basically threatens to take his love away.
We see him him interact with his friends, with his horses as he ponders his future. He takes to the job of horse trading to fill the gap. He breaks horses in and then trades them all the time not giving up the idea of climbing back into the rodeo ring.
It's a film of longing and choices, of survival and determination. The shots of the horses and Brady are filmed with stellar beauty and care. It's certainly a film of great beauty but also one of great heart.
This review of The Rider (2018) was written by Wayne M on 02 Jan 2019.
The Rider has generally received very positive reviews.
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