The Rider (2018) ****

Source: Imdb

This drama about an injured rodeo-riding horse trainer packs quite a punch. Quietly mesmerising, this movie engaged me almost from the very start. How did they find an actor who can ride like this? Solution: cast a real cowboy. In places, this feels more like a documentary or one of those horse-training youtube videos, than a movie. The acting is understated and quietly powerful. Reading the credits, I was startled to find that everyone is playing themselves... As for the script, I wonder how much of a slice of reality this is… crippled and disabled people everywhere. No perspective in their little wild-west world. The prospects for the protagonist seem pretty bleak as well. And yet there is so much humanity here, and warmth. The way Brady treats his disabled friend with such tenderness, and looks after his sister, too, is just so heartwarming, and his persistence in his struggles is inspirational. He is not angry and bitter, raging against the world. Instead, he works with his situation, pushing, testing, and hopefully eventually finding a new compromise at the end of the film.
This was also beautifully photographed, with perfect utilisation of natural light. I just thought they were over-using the shoot-against-the-sun frames. Sure, it looks great and very artistic with the washed-out pastel colours and vague shapes, but it gets old eventually. The horses were glorious and did seem to genuinely possess personality. It all felt very authentic.
4/5 for making me cry so much.

The Rider on Imdb