As a common theme in the last two years of the film industry, animals have been a pivotal focus of the plot. The animal however that has been both commonly and importantly utilized the most would be the horse (and I am not talking about a future Mr. Ed reunion). Films like “Lean on Pete” and “The Rider” showcased dark and harrowing character studies involving someone with a horse. They were both on my best of the year list of last year and deserved their spots.
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s newest indie film “The Mustang” earns a well-deserved spot as one of the greatest horse-driven films of recent memory. It also serves as a true swan-song to Robert Redford since he executive- produced the film and it will unfortunately be his last ever occupation in the film industry.
Matthias Schoenaerts plays a troubled, yet mental convict named Roman, who is committed of a crime he is tormented by. It is the time that he is soon free from prison and able to access the general population after 12 years there. When in the outside world, Roman gets introduced by wild and dirty mustang horses, where the animals are transported from a tall hill to wooden fences in prison treated as homes.
That brings the idea where Roman is introduced to a rehabilitation program as he starts to train wild mustangs along with many other prisoners.
Bruce Dern plays a long-time trainer named Myles whom teaches prisoners to basically train the mustangs. If any of the prisoners get in the rocky fields of the mustangs and brave to ride the wild animal, they succeed and get into the program.
Roman soon has a struggle with training the wild animal due to his stress and mental attitude. The only decision he has to make is to develop a friendship with the mustang in order to ignore the hardships of his crime.
In Tonnerre’s directorial debut, he is able to capture the authenticity of a real-life prison as well as capturing a beautiful opening shot of wild mustangs running down the steep hill in order to transport to the diesel truck. That is what makes “The Mustang” so undeniably special.
This movie itself belongs with such modern classics like Brady Corbet’s film from last year, “The Rider”, because the titular character suffers from a conflict or a consequence and the audience appropriately sympathizes with him.
Not since that film have I seen a horse-encompassed film feel so raw and enriched that you are in Roman’s society.
Matthias Schoenaerts brings his greatest, beastly performance in a film ever as Roman Coleman where his body language appears as mental and with a short fuse of his crime. When communicating to the horse, he usually comments on the horse with cursing and criticism, but he soon realizes that the mustang is just an animal who cannot communicate. He learns that it takes time for a wild animal to develop a friendship to him.
Meanwhile, Bruce Dern as the trainer Myles is an absolute treasure and gold mine to watch on screen. He feels like an actual trainer you can study from. If you mess up with him, it feels like the biggest deal on earth since he has worked for this occupation for a long time. Dern in the near, near future might be up for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this film.
Jason Mitchell from “Straight Outta Compton” has a great, down-to-earth role as a friend of Roman whom teaches the society of mustang training to him.
While watching this film, the movie itself looks absolutely beautiful from the opening shot to the gloomy, dark shots of the prison building. Every location and color pan of the cinematography feels so realistic that you are on Roman’s journey to freedom.
The best and most authentic scenes from “The Mustang” are usually when he has intense conversations in prison with his wife, Martha, as a prison visitor. (the amazing Gideon Adlon). There is one scene where Roman actually reveals the crime he committed to Martha and is earth-shattering with honesty and emotion.
“The Mustang” is such another amazingly-told story about horses that it can belong in a well-paced trilogy fitting in with such modern classics “The Rider” and “Lean on Pete”.
Grade: 9.5/10
