Mustang Review [Netflix] – Review in FilmTotaal

Director: Laura de Clermont-Tonerre | Screenplay: Laura de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold, Brock Norman Brock | Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts (Roman), Jason Mitchell (Henry), Bruce Dern (Myles), Gideon Adlon (Martha), Connie Britton (psychologist), Josh Stewart (Dan) ea | Time to play: 96 minutes | Year: 2019

People talking to animals. You see it in many movies, but rarely with a dramatic charge. In general, intentionally or not, it is hardly to be taken seriously. Especially if the beast has an (internal) voice. However, to communicate without words is to be strong the mustang. You can take this believable and meaningful interaction between man and horse very seriously.

Roman Coleman is in an American prison. For most of the mustang you don’t know how long and why, you don’t even know his name. And since he hardly speaks, it’s hard to estimate his thought pattern. But Flemish actor Matthias Schoenaerts is an expert at playing troublesome characters, even if the sparse dialogue can be written on a menu.

In that sense, Schoenarts is on a par with the horse, Marquis, that he owned for the mustang must train Act with feet, back, Adam’s apple and eyes. Without going too far, it becomes clear that she has an anger problem and is no longer trying to do something with his life. He slams his own shadow on the wall harder and harder, or bounces a basketball really hard on the floor. Meanwhile, the horse is also becoming a star actor due to the intimate camera work and very good trainers.

It takes Coleman half an hour to speak to himself for the first time, and an hour for even a smile to appear. the mustang It might as well have been about a timid person with a knack for taming wild animals, because he’s just as unruly as they are. But taming horses also turns out to be a process of learning by trial and error, literally. Coleman, simply because he’s the main character, he’s not exceptional. He does not receive anything as a gift.

In prison, Coleman allows himself to be walked on, despite being built like an Ancient Greek statue. And when he fights it doesn’t matter if he wins or loses; the act itself marks impotence. Which also shows how his daughter doesn’t quite comply with his approach. If Coleman scans the stands for her presence at all times during the horse auction, you search just as diligently. the mustang he is whimsical and unpredictable, avoiding most clichés.

Although there’s not much to laugh about the mustang it’s not depressing. This is because Coleman is going through a very nice and subtle development. There are even occasional tragicomic scenes, like the moment Coleman takes a series of photos with his daughter separated from him against a tropical backdrop. But most of the images are especially poignant, like the group therapy scene in which the therapist first asks how long the inmates have to sit and then how long it took them to make that fatal decision that brought them here.

the mustang is a moving portrait of a man in deep depression, with a theme that is much more about mental confinement than physical. Not equally captivating across the board, but never missing a stitch in terms of tone and atmosphere, the conclusion is a rich experience. With a delicious little Disney quality mouse snack for dessert at the end.

the mustang can be seen in Netflix.