Y'know, life is like a Rodeo. You ride it, and it bucks you up, down, left, right. Then you fall off... Sometimes you gotta get back on. But if you're wise, it might be better to walk away...

This is one of my favorite films. It's so moving.

Highly, very highly recommeded! Everything is superb, run to watch this fantastic film.

It is truly a masterpiece, simple but profound.

After a 3rd viewing, I can comfortably call this one of my favorite movies of all time. I put this movie into the "brutally realistic" movie alongside some of my all time favorites like Columbus, Shithouse, Sound of Metal and The Florida Project. 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.

Que filme perfeito. A cinematografia da Zhao me agrada muito e ela é um monstro na direção com essa captação belíssima de imagens. A narrativa da história pode ser vista como lenta, mas não é o caso, ela segue em direção e se constitui perfeitamente. Tem cenas nesse filme que vou carregar na memória. Muito bom!

All the non-actors play themselves & are wonderful. Based on a true story of poverty & choices. I watched in awe as the protagonist live-trained a horse.

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.

Best movie of the decade that restored my faith in exceptional filmmaking. It's an audacious achievement by Director Chloe Zhao who ventures into content and territory usually foreign to the modern-day film-watching audience with delicate precision and artistry. She draws cathartic performances out of the characters who are both simple in their external texture as they are deeply dimensional in their humanity and far more original than what Hollywood otherwise produces with their vast budgets. A must-watch for film lovers and a crown jewel achievement in filmmaking by a promising Director still relatively early in her career.

It's not what I expected, but better. I don't think this film can really be analyzed or critiqued. It's just experienced. It dug in deep and filled me up. It may not be for everyone, but it was for me. A truly wondrous movie.

Genuine gifted storyteller Chloé Zhao mainly settles for insightful realism under a fictionalized narrative form of a documentary with real people and real stories located rurally. "Nomadland" timely redefine homelessness down to specialized van dwellers starring Frances McDormand and David Strathairn as the only actors experiencing the trip, then her unceremonious leap into "Eternals" became an exception but still details her way of connecting towards the two aforementioned aspects. Going deeper into one of her two earlier works, "The Rider" is considered her breakthrough and a definite independent film because she got personally connected while filming her preceding debut "Songs My Brother Taught Me". "The Rider" is technically inspired by a true story in the Lakota Sioux of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, reflecting on a tragic riding accident fatally injured the young rodeo cowboy star Brady, whose condition put an end to his riding and competition days. Chloé connected with Brady's story when he said, "If any animal around here got hurt like I did, they'd have to be put down." Horses sadly beyond medical repair go to a heavenly farm rather than suffering with the sudden injury in prolonged misery. For Brady's case, he wonders what else to live for when the purpose he thought he was given turned out lost just for his safety. He attempts to ride and find that sunset with newfound identity when he pursues that "idea on what it means to be a man in the heartland of America." As brilliantly witnessed in "Nomadland" with couple professional actors interacting with real people and learning their preferred mini lifestyle trekking unseen beauty, its spiritually connected predecessor here stars an entire cast of non-professional Lakota actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves. Brady Jandreau pivots the film as the main subject, alongside his family and many of his close friends playing as themselves, along a respectfully thought-out story elaborating his now-fragile passion, subtly tracking about how to truly live. He embodies that modernization of a cowboy hanging up his hat and removes his boots out of reluctant acceptance towards a life restart, thus validating how much this was categorized as a contemporary western. They all performed naturally with sympathetic resonance enabled, as well picking up those nuanced thoughts. Although, just praising their performances is generality when they recognized the narration and just effortlessly moved along the familiar storyline because they lived it similarly and only re-enacted their memories composited slightly alternatively at supportive therapeutic extents. Simply put, they were being themselves, not just as performers. Any other film would probably add more dramatic pressure in favor of generic uplift. That just shows how respectful and realistic Chloé approached Brady's story, justified her connection and faithfully adapted her storytelling aim. Her boyfriend then Joshua James Richards supported her financially, and visually as the cinematographer with correct alignments further respecting those influences being depicted the way they would approve. "The Rider" is overall a unique graceful approach whilst further discovering Chloé's narrative capabilities as a humanely talented filmmaker solidifies both the recommendation and how her films build off of each other, which therefore certifies her as a compelling filmmaker worth attending. (B+)

This movie experience is like being a fly on the wall, watching the life of a former rodeo rider disintegrate and yet somehow, he carries on. It doesn't even feel like a movie; it feels like a documentary. It is acted and shot with an authenticity rarely found in modern movies. You can't help but sympathize with a young man who has taken his last curtain call in the rodeo arena, and has no choice but to find meaning in his life in other ways. Touching. Sad. Hopeful. Outstanding.

I really enjoyed this film. I liked the sound of the hooves on the ground - the rustling of the grass and the crickets, plus, of course, the ocassional great landscape panoramic type shots, including some pretty sunsets. I imagine it looked really quite impressive on the big screen - its certainly atmospheric in any case. Its one of those films in which at times the lack of dialogue makes it stand out - in which its whats not said that perhaps means, or counts, more than what is. In that sense its about isolation and I appreciated that aspect of it. I thought Brady Jandreau did good portraying the main character, Brady Blackburn - he's quite facially expressive and its relatively easy to tell, or guess, what he may be thinking at any time. Also his pure love of rodeo, of being a cowboy etc. comes across quite genuinely. His sister, Lilly, is quite clearly developmentally challenged (if thats an acceptable phrase to use these days?) and I thought it was quite touching how he interacts with her. The film is based on a true story, that of the actor Brady Jandreau, which gives it even more meaning and substance, I feel. There's a Q&A on the Blu-Ray of this film, in which the actor talks about his experience. There is a lot of love and compassion as well as determinism expressed, visually if not verbally. Its also about identity including masculinity. It captures exhilaration quite well, I felt, with a good use of music - a moody instrumental piece played at the end. I very much enjoyed this film and so I would definitely recommend it.

Chloe Zhao's The Rider tells the story of Brady Jandreau (playing himself), a rodeo rider and horse trainer who suffers a catastrophic head injury and is forced to reevaluate his dreams and rebuild his life. It's a pensive and brooding film, inhabited with characters who appear to live lives of quiet desperation. The Rider is filled with beautiful cinematography, a series of nicely composed panoramic shots of the striking South Dakota landscape. While Brady Jandreau is solid in the lead role and the non-professional cast give the movie a sense of authenticity, there are times when the acting seems wooden, which is perfectly understandable but does detract from the impact of some scenes. Beyond that, it's hard to find fault with this unique independent film.

I loved how real, and raw this movie felt. It depicted a slice of life I have no knowledge of. It was engaging, and the actors did a great job telling this story. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes indie films. 👍

I thought it was ok overall as you look into the life of a bull rider and the after-effects from a major injury and how it plays on your life as a person. Not terribly exciting but it was interesting

Best to say as little as possible. I could not wait for this boring, dreary film to be over!

5.0/10 — "Poor"/"Inferior"/"Amateurish" -(Seen on 12/18/21)

What an amazing movie!

Es una película conmovedora y sentimental; la trama es muy buena y la actuación de Brady Jandreau es excelente. ¡TOTALMENTE RECOMENDABLE!