The Rider

(spoiler free)

‘The Rider’ is the second feature film from director, Chloé Zhao. It follows the recovery of a young rodeo rider, Brady after he sustains a serious head injury caused by being thrown from and trampled by a horse during a rodeo. The film is inspired by, and features real life rodeo star Brady Jandreau in the leading role. Jandreau actually sustained a head injury like the one depicted in the film so would his personal experience positively affect his performance?

Whilst finding itself within the western genre ‘The Rider’ tells a story far from the gun slinging, saloon door swinging ways of the wild wild west we’re used to, providing a much more contemporary take on the heartlands of America. It doesn’t have a lot of narrative content but don’t mistake this for a dull watch, there’s no tumbleweed moments here with the running time breezing by. As well as the compelling screenplay, courtesy of Zhao who takes on the writing duties as well as directing, the sequences featuring the horses of the story, of which there are many, are especially captivating. Whether audiences are witnessing the horses in action at the rodeo, Brady attempting to train ones that have never been tamed before or simply characters riding them across the vast landscapes of the film’s setting they are always completely captivating and depending on the context always for very different reasons. One scene in particular proves especially effective and even more so when combined with the beautiful cinematography of Joshua James Richards.

Casting non-professionals in film roles is a risky strategy, just this year we’ve seen how this can backfire. Clint Eastwood’s ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ is a striking example of this. However, Brady Jandreau is an example of why this can not just work, but how it can enhance a film in such an authentic way. Jandreau effortlessly brings his skills and wealth of expertise of working with horses to all the related sequences of the film and he’s been able to draw from his very traumatic and personal experience of his accident to enrich the very screenplay that tells his story. If you weren’t aware of his lack of experience in this industry there would be no reason to believe that this wasn’t Jandreau’s primary profession. His performance gives life to the screenplay where the lack of content could have made it drag. Brady’s struggle to find his identity and purpose after the one thing he knows is taken away from him is a touching watch made even more endearing by his relentlessly caring nature conveyed brilliantly by Jandreau.

Providing an insight into masculinity amongst a unique culture ‘The Rider’ offers both the retelling of a true story and a compelling case study on one’s purpose in the face of life altering circumstances. Much like the sparse landscapes which backdrop the film the narrative will be too uneventful for some audiences. However, those willing to saddle up and ride at the film’s pace will enjoy a rich character study complimented by the confident and well informed performance of the very young man that this film is inspired by.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 7.5/10

Question: What is your favourite contemporary western film?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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