The Mustang Takes Its Horse To Self-Improvement Road And Rides Until It Can't No More

When we start The Mustang, Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a prisoner who has thrown himself into the shackles of isolated solitude. He doesn't talk to anyone, not even his daughter on the rare times she comes to visit him, and he's basically accepted, in his own way, the idea that the rest of his life is doomed to this miserable solitary existence. While off on a chore consisting of shoveling horse fecal matter, Roman Coleman comes across a wily mustang horse that's apparently impossible to train. Stumbling upon this horse leads Roman to discover a group at this prison consisting of prisoners, under the watchful eye of Myles (Bruce Dern), learning how to train horses as a form of personal rehabilitation.

Brittany Runs a Marathon Stumbles Visually But Soars Thematically

One of the most interesting parts about Brittany Runs a Marathon is how differently it approaches the topic of changing one's life and habits compared to typical American cinema. The default for depicting personal growth in mainstream filmmaking is typically to use a montage to flash through a character getting their stuff together and changing their life for the better. Now, I love a good montage, but that shouldn't be the only way we depict people tackling the daunting prospect of improving their lives. Brittany Runs a Marathon goes for a different, more realistic approach that emphasizes little steps taken each day add up to change over time, one of a number thoughtful unique traits that can be found in this comedy/drama.