**** out of ****
Rated R
(for strong language and drug use)
Released: April 13, 2018 limited; expands throughout the spring
Runtime: 104 minutes
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott

(You can listen to Adam Palmer and I discuss The Rider on Episode 8 of “The Bad and the Beautiful” podcast)

My review of The Rider, for The Tulsa Voice. Winner of the Director’s Fortnight Award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, this small indie portrait about a South Dakota Native American rodeo rider is directed by a native Chinese woman, Chloé Zhao, in only her second feature.

Based on real life events by newcomer Brady Jandreau, it’s the story of “a young Lakota rodeo horseman who’s sidelined with a brutal head injury” that “could threaten his burgeoning career.”

As he grieves “the possible loss of a life not lived, Brady wrestles with questions that hover and haunt with existential dread.” The Rider becomes a poignant spiritual odyssey about when the love in your heart becomes the cross that you carry.

To read my full review, click here.