Challenging the myth of the cowboy

  The Rider (2017) is an ambitious independent film addressing quintessentially American topics from the perspective of Chinese-born filmmaker Chloé Zhao. [...] The story begins in the aftermath of a rodeo accident that has left Brady with a serious head injury; doctors have told him not to ride again. Although drawn by friends and his own desires to return to the sport, his future depends on the sacrifice necessary for him to stay alive and remain a source of support to his family.
  Thus, The Rider melds two classic film genres – the Western, associated with the masculine, and the Melodrama, considered a feminine form – to offer contrasting perspectives on the life of the main character and the occupation he loves. [...] In The Rider, Brady's “cowboy” identity is complicated by his Native roots and a seeming asexuality. Early on he's established as a talented young cowboy, but also a seriously injured young man. He wakes up one morning and pries staples out of his head from surgery, tries to open his right hand clenched in a spasm, and vomits – his body betraying his masculine self-image. And yet, in an unforgettable scene, Brady tames a horse that the owner hasn't been able to approach. According to critic Godfrey Cheshire, this scene was unplanned and unscripted: for about 80 minutes, Zhao and cinematographer Richards kept filming as Brady Jandreau acquainted the horse with his smell, his touch, and eventually his weight. The scene in the film, edited to just a few minutes, has nothing to do with stereotypical masculinity, but rather with a sensitive, sensual, trusting connection between man and horse. We hear the horse's owner saying, “I heard you had that touch.” This scene suggests a whole new perspective on the hardened “cowboy”.