"Buck"

*****

"If there was anything in real life like a horse whisperer, it would be Buck." Indeed Buck Brannaman was even an advisor on Robert Redford's film, and informed the character as Redford played him. Redford appears in this documentary, and says so himself, so I have it on good authority. He doesn't whisper to the horses of course, not really. But he seems to have an innate understanding of them, of how they think and function and perceive the world around them, and of how to work with them. He doesn't believe a horse should be broken. He understands that we're asking the horse to do some pretty strange things, comically suggesting you put yourself in the horse's place. "Let me throw some dead animal carcasses on your back," he says, " then let me put this bar in your teeth and pull back on it. It'll only hurt a minute."

Buck is a simple, elegant documentary from director Cindy Meehl that shines a light on a singular human personality. Buck Brannaman tours the country half the year, giving clinics on horse training, sometimes accompanied by his wife and daughter and his wife's plethora of dogs, but usually alone. Although not alone this year, for he's invited us with him through the eyes and ears of Meehl's cameras. And along the way we learn what staggering things he has overcome in his life. The victim of severe abuse as a child, Buck has astoundingly grown into one of the most calm, patient, tender men you will ever see. His methods for horse training, which we are told time and again tend to bleed over into everyday life and interactions with not just horses but people, emphasise patience, nurturing, generous rewards and only subtle punishments where necessary. And just watch the man on a horse! With the subtlest of movements, usually completely invisible to our eyes (but not to the horse's touch!) he has his horse shunting forward and back, side to side, breaking into a gallop and skidding to a sudden halt, and even doing a sort of sideways box step. It really is incredible.

One of the most compelling moments comes when a young, possibly brain damaged stud is brought to Buck, to see if there may be any hope for him. This horse is wild, and dangerous. At one point his rider is attempting to mount him, and he starts fighting back. The rider tries to stay beside him, avoiding the dangerous front and back, but the horse is quick, and the rider ends up a foot or two in front of him. Quick as a flash the horse leaps out, teeth bared, straight for the rider's face. I won't say how that turns out, but it's one of the most frightening single moments I've seen in a movie all year, and probably the sole reason for the PG rating. But what makes this so compelling is what comes next, how Buck, in assessing this horse that could have been saved from what it became, ends up assessing the owner, how she failed the horse, and what problems she might have in her life that need addressing before she tries to be responsible for another living thing. It feels a bit harsh of Buck in the moment, but based on the owners reaction, it seems a slap in the face was just what she needed. In the end his innate understanding of horses seems to have led to an innate understanding of humans. And that's fascinating.