BUCK

At first you might not think, BUCK, a documentary about a “horse whisperer,” would have universal appeal. But once you start to watch this documentary you realize it connects with everyone on a number of levels. Buck Brannaman is a horse whisperer, a real one.  He and is methods are unique, built on his life experience. He’s a sincere, unpretentious cowboy with a philosophy from which everyone can learn. BUCK tells a story that transcends the point-of-view perspective of many documentary films that deal with humanistic, social or advocacy issues. BUCK will make you think, laugh and cry; it’s a documentary with emotion, drama and a fundamental message.

Directed by Cindy Meehl, BUCK incorporates amazing footage of Buck Brannaman working with horses at clinics all over the country. He teaches the attendees how to deal with horses in an empathetic fashion. In one scene he explains what it might feel like to a horse when someone jumps on it’s back. He explains that’s the way a lion would attack the horse. It jumps on the horses back, bites it and uses its claws to open up the horse’s neck. So instinctively the horse has some fear built-in on that score. The horse needs to overcome instinctive fear to be able to trust you. Punishing the horse because it doesn’t do what you want just makes it more  fearful.

Buck explains in his own words that he knows what fear is having grown up with a violent, physically abusive father. Buck and his brother were beaten constantly for any thing their father deemed wrong.  Trained as child rodeo performers doing rope tricks, the boys even performed in commercials of the day. But if their father thought they could have done better they would be punished. Ultimately, after the abuse was discovered, the boys were placed in a foster home. Their foster parents saved their lives by giving them a normal family environment.

The documentary has a great combination of new footage, Buck in action at clinics, interviews, events, archival photographs and video of Buck over the years. The film is edited in a way that answers questions before you think of them and moves the narrative along at a comfortable pace. The cinematography is intimate and the camera there when action happens. Sound design and music work well throughout the film.

During the film you get to meet Buck’s wife, two daughters and his foster-mother. Bucks natural mother died when he was quite young. His foster-mother has become his mother and they are very close. Part of this story is Buck’s history and what it took for him to overcome adversity. He feels his foster parents enabled him to transition from past experiences.

There is a scene with Robert Redford where he relates first meeting Buck who he ultimately hired as a consultant for the fiction film “The Horse Whisperer.”  Redford remembers how he quickly realized how sincere and real Buck Brannaman is.  Redford patterned his character in “Horse Whisperer” on Buck.

Buck works with horses in a way that amazes everyone, he believes in communicating with the horses through “leadership and sensitivity not punishment.” Buck says, “he travels the country for nine months of the year helping horses who have people problems.”

BUCK is a wonderful documentary that you will want to see more than once. It is entertaining and informative. It explores the not only the connection between humans and horses but sheds some light on how we deal with other humans. “Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will,” says Buck.

J R MARTIN – AUTHOR – CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA – REAL DEAL PRESS

 Photographs courtesy Cedar Creek Productions

  BUCK – 2011 – 88 Minutes – Director Cindy Meehl, Producer Julie Goldman, Editor Toby Shimin – Cedar Creek Productions

TRAILER

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Books by James R Martin

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[amazon_image id=”0982702388″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Listen Learn Share: How & Why Listening, Learning and Sharing can Transform Your Life Experience In Practical Ways[/amazon_image]