Buck

"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!

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.

Greetings again from the darkness. I made a point to attend the opening night of the film as its subject, Buck Brannaman, was slated to hold an audience Q&A after the film. Unfortunately, he was running a bit late, so we only got about 8 minutes of his time. Still, this remarkable man made an impression ... an impression of authenticity and realism. He may perform a "show", but his is no "act".

The inspiration for, and technical adviser on, the film "Horse Whisperer", Buck Brannaman explains early in the film that a horse views a human tossing a saddle on his back much the way he would view a lion attack. Such is the manner in which this man makes his points to the eager and often doubting horse owners who attend his clinics. Buck then proceeds to win over horse and human alike with wit, strength, character, kindness and toughness.

First time documentarian Cindy Meehl does a decent job of presenting the similarities of horse training and child-rearing. Buck's philosophy stems from the earlier work of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt, but is further influenced by the less-than-stellar parenting tactics of his father. Buck and his brother Bill (stage name Smokie) were child rodeo stars who performed rope tricks under the firm hand of their dad. It is clear from the footage that they feared their father. In an unlikely twist of fate, the boys are rescued from the abusive environment thanks to the actions of a football coach and deputy sheriff. To fully understand the brave actions of these two men, one must take into account the normal custom in rural America of minding one's own business. These men didn't do that and Buck was given a new life.

Watching a quick clip of the "old" horse training techniques really brings home Buck's more gentle and understanding style. He stresses the importance of understanding the horse and being clear with one's affection and intentions. His flag waving and lead rope actions can win over a horse in a short time. The surprising part is that the horse's owner learns every bit as much as their horse. Buck is clear in that the issue with most "problem" horses can be tracked right back to the owner. The same can be said for most kids. Just as he says trying to bribe a horse with carrots and sugar leads to a spoiled, unresponsive horse, the same argument can be made for that type of parenting approach.

The frustrating part of the film is that it doesn't really climb inside the head of Buck. We see a glimpse of a man who has overcome childhood atrocities, but we also see a man who loves his family ... yet spends months at a time away from them. We see fire in his eyes as he addresses a horse owner who has the gall to keep 17 studs in her pasture. It's obvious he fights his own demons towards those who mistreat animals, yet as he lectures we wonder if his care is really for the horse more than the person. It was also strange that no real mention of his brother was provided in the film. We could say it's none of our business, but the film brings up the issue of childhood and then leaves us hanging on the brother.

Truly the inspiration to Buck's turnaround is his foster mother. She lights up the screen as she talks about Buck as a child and cracks wise with her observations and the telling of a joke. Her love for Buck is obvious and we hope he realizes just how fortunate he is to have had her in his life.

This is an inspirational man who is making a difference in the lives of people and horses. He has overcome childhood obstacles to make the world a better place. His cowboy philosophy is pretty simple. Everyone carries some darkness and baggage, and we can all make our own choices on whether to let that affect our value and enjoyment in life.

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.

Honestly, I was not expecting Buck to be a movie which I would thoroughly enjoy, but I was presently surprised by this documentary. I believe this movie is well composed and in some cases a step above a lot of other documentaries. Throughout the film there are emotional transitions that seem rough, but are placed well to give the movie a good cadence. To add to the cadence of the film personal stories from people who have had their horse tamed by Buck Brannaman are added and give insight to how Buck is so inspirational to them. Humor is sprinkled throughout the film, by Buck, to emphasize how such a scared soul can heal and overcome the hardships he endured in his younger years. He does this with his hard work and dedication to better himself and save an animal he understands so well.

As Buck Brannnaman puts it, he doesn't help people with horse problems, but instead horses with people problems, and throughout the movie this statement becomes more and more believable. Classic movie clips are given to show how horses used to be treated by humans and the physical and emotional pain we put them through. In one extreme case presented in the movie we see the more stern side of Buck when he confronts a woman who has let her horse become dangerous and in turn now endangers the horse, and as Buck puts it "the human has failed the horse". A relationship between a horse and its owner is that of up-most respect and this is what Buck instills in people he teaches so the horse no longer feels it has a people problem.

Overall this was a successful documentary that didn't have the big Hollywood feel to it. Cindy Meehl's first shot at directing is one that punches above the waistline and should be watched by anyone who has been searching for an off-the-beaten track film.