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After suffering a near-fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.
The term “Cowboys and Indians” conjures up visions of diametrically opposed foes battling it out in the wild, wild west. But in “The Rider,” the Cowboys are Indians; Native Americans (Oglala Lakota Sioux) living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation who are decidedly authentic cowboys. This is not the tale of a John Wayne-type wrangler, but a grittier look at a modern breed of cowboy and their devotion to the rodeo circuit.
Writer, director and producer Chloé Zhao (“Songs My Brothers Taught Me”), returns to the Badlands of South Dakota with her second feature film. Presented as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Zhao produces a neo-realistic film, a captivating weave of two disparate genres; that of myth and documentary. The protagonists, all non-professional actors, play fictionalized versions of their own lives.
This is the story of Brady Blackburn, a budding rodeo star forced to abandon his passion due to a serious head injury he suffers in competition. In reality, he is Brady Jandreau, an up-and-coming star who met Zhao while directing her first film. She knew instantly that she wanted to make a movie about the youthful rider, who is also a horse whisperer extraordinaire. When Brady was sidelined due to his life-threatening injury, the story-line wrote itself.
The film opens with a montage of close-up, slow-motion images of magnificent horses; their soulful eyes, manes swaying from side to side. Those who are not horse lovers, can’t help being mesmerized by the luster of these resplendent beasts. But that beauty is short-lived.
Living with his unstable, gambling father (his real-life father Tim Jandreau) and his plucky little sister Lilly (his real-life sister Lilly Jandreau, who has Asperger’s Syndrome), Brady dreams of returning to the rodeo circuit against the advice of doctors. His entire existence is entangled between his vulnerability and social obligation. Besides his head wound (shown in close-up detail – not for the squeamish), Brady displays a neurological problem that prevents him from loosening his grip on one hand, a not-so-subtle metaphor for letting go.
“The Rider” is a compelling portrait of a damaged young man, frozen by indecision, trying to come to terms with his life-threatening disability, trying his hardest not to define his life by his performance in the arena.
Although the pacing of the film is notably sluggish, the heart-rendering scenes between Brady and his severely disabled friend Lane (shown injured in a riding accident – but in reality, a car accident), bring a spark to an otherwise bleak framework.
The film captures the allure of the rugged landscape, bathed in a beauteous light, reminiscent of Arizona Highways magazine covers. The panoramas of the stark prairie landscape are visually powerful but remind us of the harsh reality facing these contemporary cowboys.
“The Rider” is one of those art-house films that are critically well-received, but may have trouble finding an audience hooked on comic book super-heroes and multi sequel action films.
In select theaters Friday, April 27th
