If you are looking for a movie to get pumped for and to watch with a bunch of your friends, do not watch this movie. "Buck" serves as the perfect film for a moviegoer who wishes to enjoy a moving yet informative film that will make you rethink everything you know.Buck Brannaman is has drastically changed the lives of many horses. Touring across the United States for nine months out of the year, Buck provides four day clinics in which he helps fellow horse lovers how to interact with horses in a structural yet caring way. He helps individuals see healthier ways to train their horses, rather than use dangerous techniques or have a dangerous attitude. In the past generations, people would torture horses in order to make them tame. They would use torture, ropes, whips, and many other scary devices to try to conquer the animal's soul by force. These practices were inhumane and a stain on our relationship with animals. Thank goodness that these are not common practices today, however, most of us are still not able to conquer the challenge of training a horse in a perfectly tame and respectful manner. Buck Brannaman understands horses and truly wants others to be able to understand their horses as well. In his clinics, he compares horse emotions to that of human emotions in a way that people can understand.Buck Brannaman says at one point in the movie that your "horse is a mirror to your soul." You may wonder where that idea may come into play in a documentary about some horse whisperer, but this idea of introspection and finding your inner self comes into play every once in awhile. Some other interesting discussions that arise throughout the film include the ideas of speciesism and the close comparison between child rearing and horse rearing.I started watching this movie, hoping that I wouldn't fall asleep from the knowledge that I couldn't grasp with my mind's butterfly net. But thankfully, "Buck" ended up becoming one of the the most interesting and captivating documentaries I have ever seen. This movie is the bomb and be careful when you watch it because your mind will explode.

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.

Everybody has to face adversity. However, not everyone can conquer it quite like Buck Brannaman. The documentary "Buck" takes you through the daily life of Buck Brannaman, the acclaimed "horse whisperer." Although Buck's life seems simple and peaceful at first, you quickly learn of the adversity that he had to face to be in that position.When Buck says, "I'm helping horses with people problems," various people could interpret it in many ways. In this documentary we learn that Buck had a very troubled childhood. He was forced to work at a young age for an abusive father, and things only got worse when his mother died. Things got so bad that Buck eventually moved into a foster home to get away from his father. It was in this home where Buck met his new "mother." She was one of the few people to actually care and help Buck, and because of this, they developed a very close relationship. This is very similar to what Buck is doing to these horses. You could simply swap out Buck for a horse, and his foster mother for Buck and you will have a very similar situation.All in all, this documentary is about a man who passes down life lessons of care down to others.

"Buck" is glimpse into the life of the often enigmatic horse-trainer Buck Brannaman. The film explores the former child star's dark past and the horse training genius he has become. Despite the darker themes of Buck's past, the film is pretty lighthearted. Director Cindy Meehl manages to tell a fantastic story, and though the film runs a bit lengthy at 88 minutes it never fails to keep the audience entertained as Meehl paints a near-masterful picture of a man and his troubled past. Buck's no nonsense attitude shines through and he truly steals the show (though I guess it is his show). The only gripe I have is that I didn't get to see more of Buck; an hour and a half left me wanting to learn more about Buck. I guess that's a product of a job well done.