The Rider (2017 film)

Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, The Rider is the story of a young horse trainer/rodeo rider who suffers a big head injury when his horse falls on his head as he contemplates what to do next. The film is the story of a young man who was once a rising star in the rodeo circuit as he deals with uncertainty as well as his identity as a man in the American heartland. Starring Brady Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lane Scott, and Cat Clifford. The Rider is an entrancing and evocative film from Chloe Zhao.

The film follows a young rodeo cowboy/horse trainer who is recovering from a serious head injury when his horse fell on his head as he tries to recover hoping to ride again despite warnings from doctors that he shouldn’t ride every again. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into this young man struggling with this injury that has given him seizures and other illnesses yet is unable to let go what he loves which is riding rodeo horses. Chloe Zhao’s screenplay doesn’t emphasize much on structure as it play into the struggle that Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) is going through as he lives in a trailer home with his autistic teenage sister Lilly (Lilly Jandreau) and their father Tim (Tim Jandreau) while often making visits to his friend Lane (Lane Scott) who has also been in a riding accident that’s left him brain-damaged. While Brady tries to get back in the game, he also deals with the financial struggles that his family endures as he takes a job at a market after his father sold his horse. Even as he would get money to buy another horse but also endures the symptoms of his injuries as he questions about what to do.

Zhao’s direction is largely straightforward with its visuals as it does emphasize more on long and gazing takes as well as intimate and simple compositions. Shot on location in the badlands area of South Dakota, the film does play into this world that is largely dominated by rodeos, horses, and cowboys as it is this old idea of masculinity but a world that is distant from modernity which suits Brady fine. Yet, the idea of him not being able to ride a horse or be in a horse rodeo becomes foreign to him as it’s a world that he only knows. Zhao’s usage of close-ups and extreme close-ups add to the anguish that Brady endures throughout the course of the film while would shoot him in medium shots whenever he’s working in a market as he silently does his job. Zhao would use wide shots to get a look and scope of the location that Brady, his friends, and family are in as well as this unique world that is the rodeo and horse-riding.

Zhao’s direction also play into Brady’s determination into getting back in the rodeo circuit as he would often try and get Lane to get his old self for a bit including a scene of Lane acting like he was in a rodeo. The direction also play into Brady’s love for horses including one he would gain named Apollo who is like Brady in their stubbornness. It would give him the chance to maybe ride again but seizures and hindering motor functions in his right hand start to emerge. Zhao would often feature stylish montages of the rodeo as it’s a recurring image of Brady’s desire but the risks are intense as Brady’s father is concerned and wants him to not return. It plays into the dramatic tension that Zhao would use in Brady as he likens himself to horses when they are of no use as it play into the emotional, mental, and physical struggles he endure as well as this uncertainty of not ever riding again. Overall, Zhao crafts a rapturous and haunting film about a horse trainer/rodeo rider coping with the idea of not riding a horse ever again.

Cinematographer Joshua James Richards does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its low-key yet naturalistic photography add to the film’s visual beauty while emphasizing on available light for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Alex O’Flinn does brilliant work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some stylish approach to slow-motion for some of the montages and a few jump-cuts to play into the emotional turmoil that Brady endures. Special makeup effects by Ryan Flint is excellent as it play into the look of the tattoos Brady and some of his friends have as well as the scars from injuries he’s acquired.

Sound editor Paul B. Knox do amazing work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music sounds on location and the layer of sounds in the rodeo events and horse auctions. The film’s music by Nathan Halpern is wonderful for its low-key folk and ambient score that doesn’t appear often in the film as it play into the some of the melancholia and uncertainty that Brady endures while music supervisor Ben Sokoler cultivates a soundtrack that largely consists of country music that is performed on location in a jukebox or on a radio as it feature pieces from Lucian Blaque, Jonathan Terrell, Charlie and the Regrets, Cat Clifford, the Quaker City Night Hawks, Brian Whelan, Roosevelt Road, Luke Kaufman, Derrick Procell, James and the Wild Spirit, and Lloyd Conger.

The film’s superb cast features an array of non-actors and amateurs that include James Calhoon as a family friend, Cat Clifford as one of Brady’s friends, Terri Dawn Pourier as a young woman Brady smokes with, Tanner Langdeau as a man who sells a horse to Brady, and Lane Smith as Brady’s friend Lane who suffered brain damage due to a similar accident that Brady has faced with. Lilly Jandreau is fantastic as Brady’s autistic teenage sister Lilly as someone who is eccentric and awkward but often says things that do make a lot of sense. Tim Jandreau is excellent as Brady’s father Tim as a man who is just trying to make ends meet while dealing with his son’s desire to return to riding. Finally, there’s Brady Jandreau in a sensational performance as Brady Blackburn as a young horse trainer/rodeo rider who copes with his injuries and future as it is a low-key yet mesmerizing performance that is restrained but also intense at times as Jandreau is a major highlight of the film.

The Rider is a phenomenal film from Chloe Zhao. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and compelling character study of a young man struggling with uncertainty and the possibility of death. It’s a film that doesn’t play by conventions as it focuses on a young man dealing with the ideas of masculinity and his own identity but also the dangers of those ideals as he’s forced to deal with the realities of his own injuries. In the end, The Rider is a tremendous film from Chloe Zhao.

Chloe Zhao Films: Songs My Brothers Taught Me – (Nomadland) - Eternals (2021 film)

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