Buck

From the start of the documentary, Buck's calm, quiet, and humble demeanor captures our attention. His low voice encourages you to edge your seat forward, just so you can hear what he's saying-almost as if he's whispering a secret into your ear. Buck maintains eye contact with horses more than he does with people, simply because he understands them better. He cares for them, nurtures them, and loves them with all his heart, so much so that he sacrifices family time for a life of solitude so that he can hold clinics across the country.

Buck is truly an inspiring person. No matter how violent a colt may be when entering his clinic, Buck is always able to build a rapport with it without the use of words. He comforts and pets the horse, almost as if to say, "You're okay. Don't be afraid to let your walls down." Buck is able to show the horses that he is there to love them and that no one is there to hurt them. He even patiently ushers a violent, uncooperative 3 year old horse into the truck. Buck wants people to be able to relate to the horse before asking the horse to do something for them. He wants to help build strong and understanding relationships between horses and people.

Buck's clinics not only show how people should treat horses, but also reveal how this is about a person's life and the people in it. Buck shows others how there is always an alternative path-whether it be the way a person treats a horse or the choices a person makes in his/her life. Buck grew up with an abusive father, but refused to grow up like him. Although this seems like a gruesome childhood, Buck never needed the sympathy of others-not even when his foster father handed him a pair of beautiful working gloves the very first day he arrived. Buck shows that like people, horses are vulnerable and are capable of shutting down. He says that usually, it is the human who fails the horse through neglect and mistreatment. Towards the end of the movie, Buck regards the unfortunate event between the violent horse and its crestfallen owner, "A horse is a mirror-a mirror into your soul." This quote is truly breathtaking because it shows that not only are the participants learning about the horse, but the horse is also teaching the participants aspects about themselves that they may not realize until someone breaks the truth to them.

He opens the public's eyes to how a person and a horse can become so incredibly connected that they become one mind and one body. By simply leaning back and forth atop a horse, Buck is proof that people can gain the full cooperation of a horse without a single touch! Buck's voice and actions will seize your attention the way they did with mine.

The documentary "Buck" follows Buck Brannaman, the man most known for being a "horse whisperer" and working with Robert Redford on a movie with the same title. He runs four day training camps across the country 40 weeks out of the year in order to help people and their horses get along. The thing that really struck me with this movie was the look into another world. Now, I say another world, but what I really mean is a different kind of culture, the one you might think of when you think about old western movies. Cowboys, cowgirls, horses, and cows. Well, its not exactly the wild west, but it's as close as you're gonna get nowadays.Buck Brannaman is sort of an icon in this world. The film delves deep in to his life, the struggle he had as an adolescent, and how he conquered his life and himself. "Buck" really drives home a message of moving past the events that previously happened in your life. Through interviews of loved ones and filmed demonstrations of his, it really shows the affect he had on other peoples and their horses lives because of his own struggles. Many things from the films such as the music and the way it followed him and his family, showing his love for people and horses made the movie both interesting and heartwarming. "Buck" is an inspiring tale about a man who loves horses. It is a wonderful film experience for people who do and do not know about Buck Brannaman and his world.

"You can discipline and discourage, or you can discipline and encourage." Buck Brannaman, better known as the Horse Whisperer, is really good at the second half of that quote.

Buck Brannaman has had to go through a lot in order to become the person who he is today. This spellbinding documentary follows the life of the Horse Whisperer and the awe he carries with him wherever he goes. He is the psychiatrist that works on the relationship between the horse and the human. It's Buck's story, though, that really sets him apart from others that might be like him. He has had to overcome numerous mountains in order to be the person people know him as.

Every interview that was shown in the documentary was emotional and truly heartfelt. The people that truly know Buck really understand the difficulties that he had to go through.

Switching gears, the music and camera work were on point. The shots that were captured and the music that was played with every interview, every story, every moment made the documentary what it is, outstanding!

Most people are unfamiliar with the unique bond one can have with a horse. However, Buck Brannaman is very unlike most people.

The foundation of the film lies within Buck's violently disturbing back story. We find out, early on, that he was abused by his father throughout his childhood. As the documentary progresses, we learn more and more about Buck's incredible journey of self rebuilding. He has gone through extreme hardship to become the outstanding man that he is today.

Buck's history and inherent sensitivity allow him to relate to horses in ways the majority of us cannot. As, experienced horseman know, horses are remarkably sensitive and perceptive creatures. So much so, that they can sense a person's emotional state and recognize their personality. With this, Buck shows us how he builds an unbreakable relationship with his horses based on trust and mutual respect. At one point Buck is questioned about a particularly naughty colt.

He responds with, "That horse is a mirror. All of your horses are a mirror to your soul. And sometimes you might not like what you see in the mirror. Sometimes you will."

Buck is a cowboy that understands the true depth of these animals. No horse is inherently evil. Just as Buck knows, if one is only given punishment they will lose all trust in others. A person has failed a horse when that horse loses faith in human kindness. Buck, however helps us to succeed in gaining this trust. Not surprisingly, he advises us to start with self reflection.

The film makes one contemplate one's own character and emotions. Horses can teach us more about ourselves than any other organism on this earth. The message of this documentary is clear and backed with extreme validity. Buck teaches us to take a look inside ourselves before judging the world around us.

Remarkably raw, thought-provoking, and engaging, Buck sheds a new light on the long-standing relationship between man and horse. Never before, have I seen any fault in the ignorant and generalized view of horses. For most of my life horses have just been animals that are utilized for transportation and sport. But I've never considered how wrong I have been.

Buck Brannanam, "the Horse Whisperer", brings a new perspective to the table. Rather than continuing the tradition of beating horses into compliance, he recognized at a young age that horses must be treated with more respect and empathy. Unfortunately, the idea was to "break down the horse" (Brannanam). However, Buck inquires, "why let an animal live in fear?" (Brannanam). He understands that there needs to be mutual understanding between horse and man, since they are also sensitive creatures.

This genuine empathy that Buck has for horses almost appears to be a reflection of Buck's escape from his traumatic childhood of horrific abuse. He suggests that how one handles their horse reflects how they handle their loved ones. He further ads that, "People's horses are a mirror into their soul" (Brannanam). Similar to how one must have control over their temper with a child, one must also control their emotions when training their horse.

Likewise, this philosophy reflects how Buck interacts with the horse owners at the clinics. As much as his job is to train the seemingly difficult horses, it's also to train the people how to respect the horse. He believes that when horses seem to fail at learning and becoming compliant, the human is generally the one at fault, failing the horse.

All in all, I found this documentary entertaining and enlightening, and would most certainly recommend this movie.