Film Review: Lean on Pete (2018)
Lean on Pete is a naturally paced film written and directed by Andrew Haigh and is based on the novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin.
Charlie (Charlie Plummer) lives with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel) in Portland and stumbles upon a job looking after horses with eccentric racehorse trainer Del (Steve Buscemi). As things progress Charlie begins to feel more and more alienated. On discovery the horse he has been looking after (Lean on Pete) is about to be sent to Mexico to be slaughtered, Charlie decides to run off with his new equine friend.
As mentioned earlier, the film moves along at a very natural pace, nothing ever feels rushed and there's plenty of sequences of Charlie just walking with the horse which really punch home just how alone he is. Plummer's performance is memorable in its sublety. He perfectly portrays the youthful naivety, sadness and yet resourcefulness and determination of Charlie. He brings about an empathy in the viewer and has a style that never takes over a scene, you know he's there, you know how he feels, but it's never overplayed. Even when it's just him and the horse, he has a way of making you feel like the rest of the shot is just as important as our two protagonists. Buscemi deserves a mention too for playing a cheating, cynical, but ultimately good-hearted trainer in a way that doesn't feel at all clichéd. He feels exactly like the kind of guy you'd meet if you went to one of these races.
I've talked a lot about the film's natural pace and the modesty of Plummer's performance, perhaps the most flashy part of the film is the cinematography. Some shots, particularly of Charlie and the horse, are so beautiful I had to pause the film to admire them. The outdoor scenes of travelling are some of the most gorgeous and awe evoking scenes I've seen for a while, they portray the feeling of living in the present that a more nomadic existence brings perfectly.
This is a humble film, a film that is interested in serving it's story above all else. This is a story about loneliness, inequality and above all the strength of the human spirit. It's a stunning piece of cinema.