Horse Girl

"Horse Girl" is the story of a lonely, awkward woman who has recently experienced severe trauma and is struggling to deal with it without a suitable support structure. The dialogue here was not scripted out in advance; just a detailed outline from which the actors improvised their lines. There's a unusual feeling of authenticity because of it- not because it seems like a documentary (far from it!), but because in the midst of all the super-weirdness there are surprisingly human and relatable characters.

This is a quirky indie movie, but it's also an existential mediation; it's a bizarre out-there odyssey while also being a bedroom character study. How far you go with it will depend on your toleration for this kind of melting-pot of different genres. But if you're a fan of surreal films that grapple with the nature of reality and how we experience it, then, while you might not revere this as a masterwork, it's definitely worth your time.

Horse Girl is unfortunately marketed as a quirky, surreal romantic comedy. The elements are all there: an aloof protagonist waiting to blossom, Sarah, played by an outstanding Alison Brie; a boss/friend/maternal figure/dispenser of good advice, played by Molly Shannon; a shy, good natured love interest, played by John Reynolds; plus the pretty mean flatmate with her jock boyfriend and a few more minor characters to entertain us. From the beginning we understand that she is peculiar, has no friends, lost her mother, and loves horses. In fact, she's obsessed with one horse in particular that she used to own but had to sell for some unexplained reason (possibly an accident?). Sarah spends most of her time in a fantasy world, obsessively watching a Buffyesque TV show called Purgatory. At some point, she starts having strange dreams, from which she wakes up finding herself in unusual places, such as in the middle of the road wearing a nightgown. Through her flatmate's boyfriend she meets a nice guy who falls for her and asks her out, so that we, the audience, are led to believe that her lonely life may have a happy ending. Unfortunately, that's when trouble begins. I'm not goign to spoil the rest of the film for those who haven't watched it, but the only thing I want to say is that it was really badly marketed (by Netflix or whoever). This film is not a comedy; it's a silent, understated tragedy; a study of slow, irreparable descent into mental illness. Sarah is one of those unreliable narrators that are so fashionable these days, so it is hard to discern what is true from what's part of her imagination, who is real and who's not. But one thing is for sure: she is ill, she needs help, and she has no one to give it to her. After one of her episodes, she tells a doctor about her mentally ill grandma (whom she ends up believing she's a clone of) and how she was kicked out of a mental hospital due to lack of funding and ended up dying alone and homeless - something that may as well happen to Sarah. The film subtly criticises capitalist neoliberal individualist america, but never quite makes a strong enough statement for everyone to grasp. Overall, I liked this movie, even though I cannot say I enjoyed watching it. It surely left an impression on me and I would recommend it to people, as long as they understand what it is they are about to watch.

There were a couple of well shot scenes. With spectacular "showing" and not "telling". The movie felt slightly underwhelming or incomplete. More like a short movie than a feature length. I liked the story concept and Alison Brie did well as a homely weirdo with crazy things happening to her. Worth watch maybe as an experimental viewing. It's on Netflix so you might as well. I am glad Netflix is investing in these movies. Keeps me coming back.

The film has potential with a strong lead, some good visuals and a nice soundtrack. The concept is interesting and to an extent, well represented.

Unfortunately all the supporting characters are... not great. Mostly by design, such as being almost deliberately stupid/negligent/ineffective in order to push the story in a certain direction.

What really ruins it however is the "make up your own mind ending" and the confessed motive behind it. Those two minutes completely nullify whatever was valuable about the portrait. Shame.

There is a clear divide here based on the reviews I've read. The film has many supporters, almost as many detractors and not many in the middle.

Clearly, this is not a good watch for those who like plots served up on on a silver salver. Nor is it the typical teenage romcom where little is left to the imagination. However, I would urge viewers to look at it with an open mind and to try and understand the message that it is trying to convey.

I am by no means an expert in either psychology or psychiatry, but these are clinical fields in which the sufferer is often far removed from reality, but in their world they have THEIR reality. This is the point that has been sadly missed by those reviewers who accuse the film of having no plot, whereas it actually has two concurrent plots; one based on reality and the other portraying Sarah's decline into HER alternative reality. I totally agree that it does leave the ending somewhat ambiguous but so do many great films.......let the viewer use their own imagination.

I urge the detractors to watch it a second time with these points in mind. I did, and I enjoyed it even more that the first time around. Overall, I thought this film was well contrived and excellently executed.