Director: Cindy Meehl
Producer: Andrea Meditch
Year: 2011
Running Time: 88 minutes
Synopsis
“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems. Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, Buck is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.
Awards
2011 Sundance Film Festival – U.S. Documentary Audience Award
2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival – Audience Award
2011 Crossroads Film Festival – Best Documentary Award
2011 Seattle International Film Festival- 2nd Runner-Up for Best Documentary
2011 Provincetown Int’l Film Festival – HBO Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
2011 Nantucket Film Festival – Best of Fest
2011 HotDOCS Film Festival – Top Ten Audience Favorite
2011 Zurich Film Festival – Best International Documentary