rlawrence-47732 How can you call this a western.A western a cowboy running on a horse poker tables saloon etc etc or have people forgotten how a western has to be.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "The Rider" is a new American full feature film that premiered back in 2017 and it is the second theatrical release (after a handful of short movies) by writer and director Chloé Zhao and for that, these almost 105 minutes are a pretty respectable achievement. It is also much more known than her first already. Which may not necessarily have to do with the cast as pretty much everybody in here is even more of a rookie than Zhao. If you look at their bodies of work and also at their first names, you could almost say this is a documentary movie. Brady Jandreau's own background emphasizes this even more. So good acting all along I would say. Speaking about the documentary element here, I am not sure how much of what we see in here really did happen as it gets a bit too melodramatic sometimes. The disabled brother, the severe injuries to the protagonist, the disabled sister, the close-to-death experience at the end, the horse shooting part and so on. It is a bit much probably, even if most of it is executed with precision. I thought the disabled sister was really good too, so good that I was genuinely worried something horrible could happen to her at the end that eventually causes the main character to lose his sanity the way he was close to in this wrestling moment already when we find out a great deal about the aggression he has under his surface. More words on the dad who may have been my favorite character. He was written so well, and he performed so convincingly too. He did care a lot for his son, but struggled in showing him, not just because of his gambling problems, but because of his character that just won't allow many emotions to the surface and prefers to work it cool instead. But the final scene when he brings his daughter to the show at the end is maybe the most subtly touching father-son moment of the entire film and how he shows his son how much he wants him to live and what he is about to lose. And lets not forget about all the struggles his dad has been facing when it comes to his wife and his three children (that we know of). So yes this is a somewhat different western we have here, don't expect a great deal of Brokeback Mountain in here, in terms of style and tone it felt a lot more on the level of "The Wrestler" in my opinion. So the title fits too. And the film does not lose itself in romance plots as there is so much other stuff going on in Brady's life. The one question that will be with you throughout the film from start to finish for over 1.5 hours is will he live or die at the very end. Go and watch for yourself. Maybe you will be intrigued, maybe not by this slightly underseen film. But most likely you will not be disappointed. I give it a thumbs-up. Good cinematography too that many other westerns these days can learn something from for sure.

Marlon Brando Saw this at Sundance. Great film. None of the people in the film are actors. It aids in the realism but also is a testament to the director's ability. This is a subtle, emotionally impactful experience. By the end of it your heart breaks but is also hopeful. Good story of friendship and also coming to grips with not being able to do what you truly love to do. How does one make life meaningful?

A_Night_In_The_Life The Rider by Director Chloe Zhao. Is the tale of a young upincoming rodeo star Brady Blackburn. (Portrayed by real life inspiration of the film Brady Jandreau) who's career and basically purpose of being comes to a deviating halt. After suffering a horrible head injury. He tries to find new meaning of what life has in store for him. During the run of the film I couldn't help but to be reminded of other movies similar to the one I front of me. (The Wrestler was a big one) the trials of both Physical and mental the main character is faced with. The over whelming feeling of sympathy along with the underlying tale of battling with depression. All of which are familiar. What sticks this film out in both good and bad ways is the casting of non trained actors (it's all jandreau family members and friends playing themselves as far as I know ) a bit distracting at some point but also so real at others making powerful enough to feel the weight the main character is going through such as the case of Brady paraplegic friend. As for the film making aspect, I highly appreciated the use of natural lighting throughout the project. The use of the the sun in the background in some shots were very pleasing to the eye. The shots on site locations where amazing. One Particular scene comes to mind were there is a lightning storm in the background. And the bronco riding scenes were just captured in such a raw way. They demand your attention. Unfortunately, a big down fall by far goes to the audio. Some of the dialect you could barely hear compare to the booming audio dubbed of the sister lily. It really stands out which starts taking you out of the movie. If I could leave you with anything from this film I can say it not the crowd pleaser that I could see the usual movie goer to last through. But it's a story I was grateful to ride out to the end. I give it a 7 out of 10.