Last year, it was Luca Guadagnino’s visceral drama Call Me By Your Name that transported audiences to the remote village of Crema, Italy, where we felt the warm summer breeze on our skin, tasted the juices of the perfectly-ripened fruit, and got that all-too-real pit in our stomach that only first love can give.
While the “cinematic” year is just getting started, it seems like Lean on Pete is British-born director Andrew Haigh’s answer to last year’s aforementioned Best Picture Oscar-nominee. The visual and emotional vibrancy of Lean on Pete, plus the powerful performance from breakout star Charlie Plummer, radiates from the screen and will easily make its way into your heart.
Sixteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) and his father Ray (Travis Fimmel) have a dysfunctional relationship, that is apparent early on. They love each other dearly but Ray is not financially stable, and his emotional capacity is constantly being distracted by various women he brings home. Because of his upbringing, his mother left the family when he was young, Charley has always been an independent kid longing for connection. So when he finds a job at a local horse racetrack working alongside Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny), Charley feels complete. Del and Bonnie fill the role of “family,” and Charley becomes emotionally attached to one of Del’s older horses, named Lean on Pete. However, when Charley learns that Pete is being sent to the slaughter, he feels not only betrayed by the people he considered his chosen family but heartbroken at the thought that his best friend was going to be discarded in such a horrific way. Charley won’t let that happen and so, with Pete in one hand and a couple bucks in his pocket, he sets out across the Midwest to escape the harsh reality in hopes of a promising future ahead in the great unknown.
While the story isn’t an original idea– Andrew Haigh adapted Lean on Pete from Willy Vlautin’s novel of the same name– Haigh makes this story an unforgettable cinematic experience. Heartbreaking and beautiful, we follow Charley as he makes his way through rough terrain, both literally and figuratively as he navigates through the harsh environments and a messy personal life. Charley experiences various tragedies and Pete becomes a sort of emotional support animal for him. It is a heartwarming moment, once realized, that just as Charley saved Pete from an unethical death, Pete saved Charley from total loneliness.
It is a heartwarming moment, once realized, that just as Charley saved Pete from an unethical death, Pete saved Charley from total loneliness.
Coming off of last year’s role as the kidnapped J. Paul Getty III in All the Money in the World, Charlie Plummer does an outstanding job holding it all together as the headstrong yet naive and underprivileged teen. The tension bubbles and tears well behind his eyes, but the attitude he adopts as Charley doesn’t allow him to let his vulnerability show. It is during certain moments of the film, when this vulnerability peaks through his tough exterior, that we see a child who is aching for stability in any form. The supporting performances from Buscemi and Sevigny are full of depth and evoke a wide range of emotions. The environment is also very much a character in itself as the brutal landscape and places within it provide Charley and Pete with benefits or deterrents. However, Charley seems to always come out the other side having learned from the experience.
Lean on Pete is divided into three distinct parts, perhaps serving as an homage to the book, but at times it can feel like three different movies. The motivation deters slightly throughout each part, but the emotional impact of Charley’s end goal remains consistent and strong. It will be hard to get through the film with dry eyes, but its lasting satisfaction and tenderness make it all worth it.
121 minutes. Lean on Pete is rated R for language and brief violence. Opening this Friday at The Landmark and ArcLight Hollywood.
