Lean on Pete (2017)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  9 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: At its core, Andrew Haigh's 'Lean on Pete,' is the affecting and touching character study of a young man without any much-needed guidance or parental figures who ends up on the run with a horse, but the reason it's so amazing - and what ultimately makes it one of the best films of the year - is the execution of all of that and the grounded really it subtlety unlocks. Yes first and foremost what's so great about this film is that you really get time to understand and sympathise with the central character Charley as Haigh develops things slowly and extremely visually, and crucially gives space for Charlie Plummer's perfect performance to work its magic. All of that means you begin to care deeply for the boy, and as his situation worsens and worsens and he meets a whole breadth of America's people from the good to the bad, it becomes extremely affecting as we see him learn about the light and dark of his world through his troubled young eyes. That not only makes this a very emotional watch then, but also a significant one that paints a rather comprehensive picture of modern America equally as well as it paints the tragic picture of this young man's journey. All in all it's an incredible film, and a properly underappreciated one too.
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Some moments might have hit a little harder if the relationship Charley had with the titular horse was developed just a little more.
  VERDICT: This really is one of the best films to come out of 2018. 'Lean on Pete,' is an emotionally-affecting and tragic character study that paints a picture of a character and of a society in a near-perfect and extremely visual way. What an amazing piece of work.

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