THE RIDER
After a riding accident leaves him unable to compete on the rodeo circuit, a young cowboy searches for a new purpose.
Director:
Chloé Zhao
Cast:
Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau
Screenplay:
Chloé Zhao
Screening Date:
Apr 14, 2018
Studio:
Sony Pictures Classics
Running Time:
104 Minutes
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.3% | 21.2% | 27.2% | 12.1% | 3.0% |
“What a quiet little masterpiece! Great performances by all the actual people involved, a nice little story but with profound resonance for American males, and simply stunning cinematography. Watching Brady stack shelves in a supermarket breaks your heart.”
“This film won’t be for everyone, but it may be the best modern cowboy movie ever made.”
“Perhaps an outsider’s perspective – a Chinese woman writer/director to so very keenly observe what it takes to be an American male these days.”
“Boring! Glad he didn’t ride again and end up like his brother. No explanation of sister’s problem. Was dad a horse breeder? Needed some commentary.”
“A beautiful but also searing examination of the life of a cowboy.”
“Use of space is excellent. Narrow corridors in house and hospital vs. open land.”
“Beautiful and bleak. A moving account of what it means to e a cowboy, sad, lonely heartfelt emptiness of the heartland. We rarely get to see how great a struggle it is to survive without skills or education as a rodeo rider. Music tracks work like a film by Peter Weir - excellent. So many moving scenes. Reminded me at times of BLACK STALLION, another great film.”
“Excellent portrayal of cowboy life. Deeply moved by Brady’s kindness, caring, determination and courage. I felt it will not have a wide audience although so well done.”
“Somewhere between macho obstinance and the tender care for horses and animals is our hero. And he is a hero, providing for his family when his sister cannot and his father won’t. A slow moving story but deeply moving as well.”
“A beautifully photographed slice of a cowboy way of life. Emotionally wrenching. After a slow start I got drawn into the emotionality of their relationships man/animal, Man/family provider. Glad I saw it. An emotional ride. A tense ending! What would he choose?”
“It took a long time to get where I knew it was headed. We all modify and adapt our dreams to accommodate our lives and circumstances. Not a very enlightening theme. No animals were hurt in the writing of this comment.”
“What a remarkable performance by Brady Jandreau. His naturalness and ease and yet his quiet intensity should worry acting coaches. This kind of screen presence is very rare, and it will be fun to follow his career. I hope he acts instead of riding horses. It’s easier on the metal plate in his head.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Check out this NPR interview with CHLOE ZHAO and BRADY JANDREAU, where Terry Gross asks the director and star about the dream that inspired THE RIDER, as well as Brady's real-life riding accident.
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/10/601122144/a-devastating-fall-couldnt-keep...
In this Variety piece, CHLOE ZHAO discusses how she was drawn to the sense of spirituality in the American heartland, despite being raised an atheist. She also says she isn't finished filming with the Lakota just yet.
http://variety.com/2018/film/features/10-directors-to-watch-chloe-zhao-t...
Watch this interview with CHLOE ZHAO at Cannes 2017, where she talks about being most interested in the "American broken dream", and how that inspired her direction with THE RIDER.
