Let’s get this going.
Official Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Charley (Charlie Plummer) finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean on Pete. The horse’s gruff owner, Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi), and his seasoned jockey, Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny), help Charley fill the void of his absent father. But when Charley discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, he takes extreme measures to save him, as Charley and Pete embark on an unforgettable odyssey to find a place they can call home.
Lean on Pete is a movie about a boy named Charley who builds a bond with an old racehorse named Lean on Pete. What appears to be another film examining a close bond between man and beast and the value of such relationships quickly turns out be something much darker. Specific spoilers aside, this film is not what the cover art makes it out to be. If setting the mood means layering on the tension and anxiety, then this movie hits the nail on the head.
Spoilers aside, Charley’s life is very difficult, and the story follows him from one rough situation to another with no respite from his pain. It is a painful look into the life of a young man who has no one to help him through problems for more than a fleeting moment. In this way the film has serious flaws; it leaves the viewer with a sense of expectations that aren’t necessarily delivered on. However, viewed within this frame, it is a frame that may be more realistic than first expected, painfully so: life doesn’t always provide such solid conclusions for its hurdles. Still, if youth, suffering, and struggling on sound interesting, then Lean on Pete might just be the heartache to reflect on.
Special features:
· “Searching for Home: Making Lean on Pete” Featurette
