A contemporary Western film has been hailed by fans as a “masterpiece”, with one saying it’s “almost too real to process”. The Rider (2017) is a unique independent film set in the US state of South Dakota that uses untrained actors and blurs the boundary between documentary and fiction.
The lead, Brady Jandreau, plays Brady Blackburn, inhabiting a character named after himself and loosely based on his own life. In the story, Brady is a former promising rodeo star living in poverty with his dad and teenage sister after a catastrophic head injury that left him prone to seizures and unable to ride.
The film’s writer and director Chloé Zhao based the central idea of the incident and the impact on the main character’s life on Brady’s real-life experience of a horrific head injury he suffered that led to him having to be put in an induced coma.
The unconventional film, which was shot on a micro budget and part-funded by Zhao, uses actors’ real names and even incorporates footage of Brady’s actual accident and the scar it left him with.
Brady Jandreau’s family in the film are also played by his actual father and sibling. One audience writer on Rotten Tomatoes called the movie “truly a masterpiece, simple but profound”.
Another said: “After a third viewing, I can comfortably call this one of my favorite movies of all time.”
They said The Rider “might be the most tender and sincere movie I’ve ever watched”.
“How badly it must hurt to face obstacles you can never overcome when the body breaks long before the mind does,” the fan added.
A third said: “Zhao wisely sidesteps the inspirational narrative route and sticks to a simpler character study.
“The results are often poetic, but never pretentious or condescending. The use of untrained actors may be the most interesting choice. It only enhances the film’s emotional potency.”
A fourth added: “Heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring at the same time, it’s almost too real to process. Fantastic, star-making film from Zhao.”
The movie Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a superb 97% score on the site’s Tomatometer, which reflects the percentage of approved critics who have given it a positive review.
It also has an 82% score on its Popcornmeter, reflecting a positive reception from general viewers.
The Rider is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Sky Store, and Apple TV now.