By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Cindy Meehl
Country: united_states
Year: 2011
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753549/
Toni says: “The inspiring story of Buck Brannaman. He took bad from the past and made good by translating it to understanding horses as a real live horse whisperer. As many have mentioned, you really don’t have to be into horses to appreciate Buck as a person, a healed soul that teaches people to see that their own lives, good and bad, reflect on horses in their behavior as seen in basic and extreme examples further into the film. You see that Robert Redford and Hollywood knows little about horses and how to cast them in films. As Buck says, to Robert Redford, ‘He’s not an actor; he’s a horse.’ It is a pretty funny and heartwarming piece of the film as is the rest in learning how Buck healed himself, lived on the road, and passed his unique knowledge and spirit to his family, friends, and attendees his annual workshops from all over the world. 5 cats”
Diane says: “I’m not much of an animal person, but I was getting choked up within the first five minutes of BUCK. Buck Brannaman, in his late forties, is a teacher of the innovative technique called Natural Horsemanship, which focuses on making the horse feel safe and secure so that horse and rider can act as one. Like BILL CUNNINGHAM, the doc is primarily about the unique achievements of the man–and both filmmakers are in love with their subjects–with a glimpse at some of the demons and passions that drive him (although Cunningham is much more private).
“As in TABLOID, we’re left to wonder about a critical person in the story who is absent from the film. And with only 88 minutes to the film, my companions and I were wondering about some odd choices that first time docu-maker Cindy Meehl made of what to include. The doc’s digital quality–harsh colors, lack of depth–is a drawback. 4 cats”
Julie says: “I do agree with Diane that there was info left out about a critical person in this film – It bothered me but did not detract from the quality of the film I felt. From the explanation found in the special features I assume the choice had to do with very disjoint stories that did not fit well together- still there could have been some explanation yes-and in the movie theater you don’t have the special features to explain things-”