The Rider (2017)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Rider (2017) – C. Zhao

Bleak, sombre and somehow opaque study of a young rodeo rider who sees his dreams closed off after a terrible head injury. Brady Jandreau essentially plays a version of himself and director Chloé Zhao leaves him alone with his feelings for long stretches of the film. (This is the opaque part). He is joined by his real dad and intellectually impaired real sister, also playing versions of themselves.  All non-actors.  Brady struggles with his desire to ride again and even to compete riding broncos once more, knowing that any additional fall could be fatal.  We see him bond with horses and recognise his real talents in working with them and feel sorrow for his plight. However, we also see that fate has let him off (relatively) easy, as his best mate, also a budding rodeo star, is now a paraplegic after a fall (also playing himself).  Yet despite these terrible dangers, none of the boys seem to be able to pull away from the allure of the rodeo and Brady does nothing to dissuade his friends (and fans) from engaging in the same behaviours that harmed him and his friend. It’s hard to know what’s on his mind – but the impoverished cultural milieu all around them (in Pine Ridge, South Dakota) probably means that dangerous dreams die hard. There’s an unavoidable documentary feel here but Zhao’s poetic direction lifts it into a more introspective vein.