Lean on Pete

Andrew Haigh’s film about a boy and the horse he bonds with during a difficult time is by no means Disney-like. Lean on Pete is an over-the-hill race horse that 15-year old Charley (Charlie Plummer) cares for after being hired by gruff owner Del (Steve Buscemi) at a small track in Portland, OR. A lonely lad just arrived in town with his loving but irresponsible father (Travis Fimmel), Charley develops an emotional attachment to the animal despite being warned by a jockey (Chloe Sevigny) to keep his distance. When his father dies unexpectedly and Del decides to sell Pete for slaughter, Charley impulsively takes off with the horse on a trek to Wyoming to find his aunt, who he vaguely remembers as the only person who showed him kindness when he was a kid. The trip is depressing, albeit picaresque: desperately short of money, Charley at one point is threatened with jail when he tries to eat and run at a diner, and he also briefly works with a painting crew, only to have his earnings stolen by an unscrupulous druggie (Steve Zahn)—prompting the boy to take uncharacteristically violent action. Plummer delivers an excellent performance that captures every nuance of Charley’s emotional journey in this insightful if also harrowing portrait of adolescent turmoil. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Searching for Home” making-of featurette (28 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras packages for a powerful coming-of-age drama.] (F. Swietek)