The Rider
dir. Chloé Zhao · 2018
Finding one's identity and purpose can be a painful journey that challenges our understanding of strength and vulnerability.
"The Rider" is a poignant exploration of identity and purpose set against the rugged backdrop of the American West, masterfully blending personal struggle with the beauty of the natural world. This contemplative film invites viewers to reflect on what it truly means to be a man in a time when traditional roles are shifting.
Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over after a horse crushed his skull at a rodeo. In an attempt to regain control of his own fate, Brady undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of the United States.
Full synopsisspoilers
Brady Blackburn, a rodeo bronc rider with some renown, learned everything he knows about horses and riding from his parents, Wayne and the now deceased Mari Blackburn. Brady is recovering from a fall off a bronking horse in a rodeo, the most serious of the injuries being a skull fracture which required a metal plate being inserted into his head. Including checking himself out of the hospital earlier than advised, Brady is determined to get back up onto the literal and proverbial horse as quickly as possible as being a cowboy is all he knows. But deep in his heart he knows that returning to the rodeo in particular is something that is probably not in the cards without increased risks, which is eventually confirmed by his doctor who tells him that he cannot sustain another serious head injury without some major consequence.
He does not even want his friends and family to treat him with kid gloves in being able to do any of those physical activities which are part and parcel for him of being a man and a cowboy. Brady has to come to some realization as to this fact and come to terms with it - which is difficult even as his best friend, former rodeo rider Lane Scott will forever be institutionalized needing around the clock medical care from a similar accident - or end up killing himself physically in the attempt to bronc again, or killing himself emotionally in not being able to do what he loves.
Talking points
- the evolution of masculinity in contemporary America
- the role of animals in human identity
- the intersection of dreams and reality
- the impact of trauma on self-perception
