Film Number 10 Buck

Film Number:10
Film Name: Buck
Source: Netflix Instant Watch
Rating:8/10

Buck is a documentary about the so called real life "horse whisperer".  This movie was highly recommended to me by my husband's coworkers.  I am not sure if I would have watched it otherwise to be honest because it just did not sound appealing to me and I did not think it would be very educational.

Well, I feel really stupid admitting that now.  Buck was extremely educational.  He was a really likeable man too, not like any of the obnoxious tv dog trainers.  Buck Brannaman has devoted his life completely to horses and follows a philosophy that people are their problems.  He is so passionate about his work that he travels all over the United States to help these animals.  He trains people and not horses and I really respect that attitude, in another life I worked at a school and saw a lot of childhood issues and families with crises, everyone there respected counselors and therapists who trained the parents to behave rather than the child.

The movie Horsewhisperer was already in the works before Buck was tapped to be an advisor so it is not actually based on Brannaman's real life experiences.  In my opinion Buck is much more appealing and charismatic than Robert Redford, but that's just me.

I like animals a lot but I never paid much attention to horses in the past.  I was amazed at how intelligent and sensitive they actually are.   They have much more charisma then I ever imagined and they want to bond with people and work and serve and be loved and cared for.  Brannaman himself wants to work hard and serve them in return, I'm sure it comes from his sad and abusive early childhood  that has made him a so called "wounded healer."  He misses his family terribly while he travels but is making a living and serving his calling.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful and the story was compelling.  The movie was so well made I felt I got to know Buck pretty well, and I did not have the need to supplement the movie by visiting Wikipedia.  Some of the interviews were disturbing with regard to Buck's traumatic childhood but overall it was a very pleasant and noble story of people and animals resiliency and strength and ability to heal each other.  This confirmed my belief that animals and their silent ears make the best therapists.