Every so often (and rarely), there are films we see advertised that intrigue us to want to learn more about them, particularly films that premiere at festivals like Sundance or TIFF and that begin playing in select theaters.
I had been seeing posters and related ads for a film called The Mustang (which premiere at Sundance back in January, and was supported by the Sundance Institute and co-produced by Sundance founder Robert Redford) in recent months, but have not seen any trailers for it. As I was reflecting on films that have come out so far this year and which have stood out, I began thinking about this film more, wondering what it was really about (besides a man and a horse, as the posters clearly reveal), and decided I need to see it soon to see what all the buzz was about (as I previously did with the post-Oscar buzz for Roma).
The Mustang tells a story of an incarcerated and brooding criminal, named Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), sent to a rehabilitation program for training wild mustangs. We don't really know much about this quiet man, except that he's been in prison for over ten years, has anger management issues, a pregnant daughter, and is self-isolated ("I'm not good with people," he claims), which intercuts with the group of wild mustangs that are gathered and collected for the aforementioned program. The same notion is echoed in such elements as rumbling heard in a horse shed and in a jail cell, and in the echoing of basketball dribbles.
The story is inspired by a real-life program, based in Carson City, Nevada, and is said to he a life-changer for many inmates. (The film's closing credits even reveal real-life inmates and the horses they trained.)
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| (from left) Matthias Schoenaerts and Jason Mitchell |
From this alone, one would think, "Oh, they're going to get all weepy on us and start playing the sentimental violins at anytime." Well, not really. At least not so much. There are, maybe, three or four moments, at least, that cross the man-meets-animal tropes that have been seen many times before (such as in The Black Stallion or Free Willy). But for the most part, this meshing of two genres we don't often associate with each other (prison drama, animal training) works extraordinarily and genuinely. And the screenplay (penned by Mona Fastvold, Brock Norman Brock, and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who makes her feature-film debut here) is generally smart in portraying genuine emotion and angst, not to mention character venting in a prison environment.
The cinematography (courtesy Ruben Impens) and the score (courtesy Jed Kurzel) are compelling. And the roster of performances is impressive, with Bruce Dern (a veteran of numerous westerns) and Jason Mitchell (Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton) as horse trainers, and Connie Britton (of Nashville and Friday Night Lights fame) as a psychiatrist. But it's Schoenaerts (who has built most of his career as a leading man opposite Marion Cottiard, Kate Winslet, and Carey Mulligan, respectfully) who is fully-committed. His scenes with the horse (whom he names Marquis, pronounced "Marcus," after a trainer he reads about in a horse magazine) don't need any dialogue, really. Almost everything is face-to-face, eye-to-eye. The film's tagline reads: "Untamed Souls. Kindred spirits."
Even so, the environment and character conflicts can get brutal and emotionally intense, as well as profane. That goes just as well with minor subplots involving drug exchanges, and with characters who are implied as sex offenders (along with heartbreaking confessions). Many of these characters, in fact, are fighting themselves, in a way. There are also at least three unexpectedly violent moments that can cut like a knife, and throw some viewers off.
It also makes the film hard to watch, as its themes of second chances, redemption, trying again, and relationships being renewed are very worthwhile. The result exceeds the aforementioned tropes with a subtly gripping yet genuine payoff.
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