The Rider

THE RIDER evokes memories of the Western genre, often believed to be dead and buried. Zhao works with amateur actors from the Pine Ridge Reservation, who more or less play themselves. She tells the story—in a poetic yet realistic way—of life on the margins of the American dream. Brady Jandreau's nuanced performance makes the young man's inner emptiness and turmoil believable. Zhao does not portray this Western world as a dull clatter of hooves, but rather draws a great deal of tenderness from traditional ideas and the way the men interact with each other. (according to: epd-film.de)