Review: Buck (Film)
One of the best movies you probably didn't see in 2011 is Buck (directed by Cindy Meehl). This documentary is billed as being about the life of a true horse whisperer: Buck Brannaman. It's that, of course, but it's also about life, people, relationships, and (yes) horses.
Buck had a rough start in life, but through his own no-nonsense outlook and some good luck (a supportive foster mother, for example), he was able to make something of himself. He is now one of the leaders of a new breed of horse trainers who are intent on stopping the abuse of breaking a horse and are working to promote the practice of developing mutual respect between human and animal.
The documentary, however, is about much more than training horses. Building trust with an animal isn't all that different from building trust with another person. And the other lessons one learns from Buck have a wide application. You do not have to love horses to love Buck. It's a film you'll want to watch more than once. In fact, we ordered a copy within hours of watching it via streaming.
13 comments:
sold!!!
I got teary eyed just from the trailer. This looks so good!
I am off to find this so I can watch/share it ... its right up our alley
I can't stop crying! Buck Brannaman is an incredibly gifted soul. I think this movie should be a mandatory watch for every child in school. The world would be a kinder and better place for all creatures and people too.
oh my...I'm choking up as well...I truly believe you can tell a lot about a society through how it treats its most defenseless citizens...children and animals. I'm going to find this one NOW. :)
Soul-searing story and Robert Redford in the trailer too? You better believe I'm going to watch this one.
My daughter would love this movie for the horses, and I would love it for the human story, so I have a feeling I know what we will be watching for family movie night this weekend! Thanks for the great recommendation!
Thanks for the review and reminder about this movie. I remember hearing about it and being interested but then forgot about it. It's already added to my blockbuster list.
I remember when this won in the Sundance Festival. I'll have to watch it.
We just watched this last night! It's on Showtime for about a week, I think. Watched with daughters (8, 11) and then had to have a big talk about child abuse, but I think it was still a good movie for them to see. I spent my teen years at a barn (luckily a humane one) so it was heartening to see the passion he shares for treating horses with respect.
As a rider, I found the mix of dressage and working cows fascinating! But I would recommend this to anybody.
There's some really beautiful still shots in this trailer. It's incredible to think how far we've come with our knowledge of animal psychology just in the course of my lifetime.
I'm definitely adding this to my queue. I love horses, but a good documentary about relationships and life, too? Yep, sold!
My husband is a volunteer projectionist/ticket seller once a week at our little town independent theatre, and Buck was one of the movies he showed this past summer. He thought it quite wonderful. Someone who bought a ticket told him that she knew Buck.
I've just put it in my instant queue.
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