Cinema has the unquenchable power to convey beautiful, human stories through the most simplistic means, and independent cinema, as has already been well-established by yours truly, has been at the forefront of this kind of filmmaking, telling stories that would otherwise be forgotten or disregarded in a more mainstream context. One of the most brilliant films from the past year that I feel is the epitome of the extent to which independent cinema thrives on representing reality is Andrew Haigh’s adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s novel Lean on Pete. What I was expecting to be a quaint and interesting portrait of a boy struggling to survive after tragedy was something much more, becoming a delicate and endearing look at the unquestionable challenges some people have to face, and their triumphant ability to overcome these problems through their own strength of character and relentless dedication to surmounting even the most impossibly difficult of situations. Lean on Pete is a marvelous film, one that could be a natural successor to many of the great human dramas of the past, a rekindling of the beautiful Au Hasard Balthasar (in the relationship between a person and an animal) and this generation’s My Own Private Idaho. Needless to say, Lean on Pete is one of the best films of the past year, a subtle but nuanced look at life and its trials and tribulations through the eyes of a young man doing his best to survive them.

Lean on Pete is focused on Charley (Charlie Plummer), a working-class young man living in Washington with his single father, Ray (Travis Fimmel), who has had a string of girlfriends, with none of them lasting very long, thus leaving Charley without a mother or a surrogate, with the exception of his Aunt Margy, who he has not seen in years. A naturally curious but also a hard-working young man, Charley soon finds himself under the employment of Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi), a horse trainer whose glory days are behind him, now peddling his wares and barely making a living at end-of-the-line fairs and horse races around the state. Charley becomes attached to one horse in particular, the titular Lean on Pete, who makes up for his ineptitude as a racer by being a sensitive, gentle soul. However, Del does not have much use for a horse that cannot run to its full capacity anymore, so when he intends to send Lean on Pete to the slaughterhouse, Charley rebels, very soon taking the horse on a cross-country odyssey to Wyoming to find his long-lost Aunt Margy, who he hopes will take care of him, especially because a tragic and unfortunate accident robbed Charley of everything, including his father. Charley and Lean on Pete endure many challenges, but their bond only grows, and the horse helps Charley find some purpose and direction to his life and aids him in moving forward from the haunting nature of the past.

It is a wonderful moment when an exciting new talent is introduced to the world through an explosive performance, and Charlie Plummer has one of the finest in this film. He may not be technically a newcomer, as he has appeared in a few previous films, but his breakthrough role comes in the form of Lean on Pete, which stands as one of the finest performances from a young actor of the past few years. Lean on Pete is a film built entirely around Plummer, and Haigh never once intends to pull the focus away from our protagonist to focus on any of the other characters, regardless of how fascinating some of the other roles in this film were. Lean on Pete is the story of Charley, and it takes us on an intimate journey into his life, showing his struggles and anxieties as he puts his best effort into surviving the harsh circumstances he encounters, never relenting from using whatever resources he has at his disposal to ensure that he can work towards achieving a particular goal, which is mainly to simply survive.

Plummer is an absolute revelation in Lean on Pete, with his remarkable subtlety and nuanced simplicity resulting in one of the most moving performances of the past year. Young actors who give astonishing performances such as Plummer in Lean on Pete could fade into obscurity, or thrive on the strength of their performance and become staples of the cinematic world, only growing as performers through their exceptional talents and dedication to portraying these characters. I sincerely hope that in this case, Plummer aligns himself with the latter, because this film and this performance is the type that sets the foundation for a fruitful, successful career, one that could lead the actor to a wide-range of diverse, worthwhile roles that are deserving of his talents. I have rarely been this astounded by such a performance, but Plummer’s incredible capabilities surprised me more than many similar performances, especially considering it is far more complex and nuanced than what we have seen before. Needless to say, this was a very special performance, and one that will endure for years to come, both for its volcanic intensity, and it remote complexity that conveys a nuance very few well-established actors are able to utilize. There is a unique energy that pulsates throughout Plummer’s performance, and the result is undeniably one of the finest performances of the year.

Lean on Pete belongs unequivocally to Plummer, but it is also the supporting cast that aids in the film as a whole, being true to the term “supporting” insofar as not only are their performances often brief but memorable but because they play pivotal roles in Charley’s story, rather than being the focus of the film as a whole. The film offers glimpses into the previous lives of many of these characters, but does so through the lens of Charley’s story, with their own pasts being conveyed to Charley himself, who inadvertently finds his way into the lives of these people. The supporting cast is wonderful, and do exceptionally well in interpreting this story in a way where they are pivotal to the story but secondary to the protagonist. A great supporting role is one that does not demand the spotlight, but rather serves its purpose to highlight the main performer, and through that become a distinctive presence in the film itself, and everyone in this film did exceptionally well in being imperative to the story of Charley and his horse, being present but never distracting.

If there was any doubt that Lean on Pete had independent credibility, one just needs to consider that Haigh cast two of the defining figures of American independent cinema in central roles, Steve Buscemi and Chloë Sevigny, both of which are as wonderful here as always. Sevigny brings such a warmth to a character who could have easily been disposable and ultimately inconsequential, and she is at her most delicate and subtle here as the dedicated but caring jockey Bonnie, who does not realize that she is unintentionally becoming something akin to the mother Charley never had. Steve Buscemi, who I can never praise enough, gives one of his best performances as Del, the racehorse owner who is cynical but does possess a caring streak that helps Charley if only for a brief period before fear and rebelliousness overcome the young man, forcing him to escape. Del is a complex ‘villain’, and Buscemi is tremendously skilled at finding the humanity in a character who is not necessarily evil, but rather unlikable in a more realistic way, with his intentions not being motivated by anything other than his own survival, which could have easily come across as loathsome, but in the hands of Buscemi, who has never been a stranger to complex characters. Del is made into a sympathetic but unpleasant antagonist through Buscemi’s tremendous performance, and he fully commits to a character that would be otherwise entirely despicable if he was not so realistic. Like I mentioned previously, Lean on Pete is about Charley, and as tempting as it would have been to return to these supporting characters to see the aftermath of our protagonist’s actions, it would have resulted in something far less effective and realistic. As good as these performances are, and as interesting as the characters may be, they are only a part of the overall story of Charley, so it only makes sense that they exist briefly, but memorably, in his journey towards self-actualization and liberation from the past.

What is it that makes Lean on Pete such a moving film? Perhaps it is the same formula that has worked for other journeyman films, such as Paris, Texas and the aforementioned My Own Private Idaho – they are films about someone looking for meaning through escaping, whether it be a particular location or a specific mindset which has resulted in a hindering of their attempts to be free. The protagonists of all of these films are searching for someone important to them by traveling to where they hope they will be – Travis in Paris, Texas goes to Los Angeles to find his wife and mother to his son. Mike in My Own Private Idaho travels to the titular state, and then to Rome, to find his mother. In Lean on Pete, Charley follows a similar path, traveling to Wyoming to find his aunt, who he has not seen in years, and who he hopes can help him find the direction in life that he needs. There are many common themes in these films, with one of the most distinctive being the sense of listless indirectionality, the knowledge that one needs to keep moving towards their specific goal, but not knowing what challenges they might face along the way. Lean on Pete is about a troubled young man looking for meaning in a harsh, unforgiving world, and there is very little doubt that this is a profoundly moving film, showing us a flawed but heroic character who does what he needs to do to survive, even if it means putting himself in harm’s way, or even brief flirtations with crime. Much like the aforementioned films, Lean on Pete has a complex protagonist on his own metaphysical journey towards something, both tangible and abstract – he is searching for someone, and along the way hoping to find meaning in himself through introspection and self-reflection. It is deeply moving film and one that will resonate with anyone who feels like they don’t belong, or are in search of something much bigger than themselves, something that they will go to any lengths to find, whether real or not.

One reason that I find Andrew Haigh an exceptional filmmaker is his remarkable storytelling skills, how he has an undeniable knack for telling simple but moving stories. His previous feature film, 45 Years, was an extraordinary work, mostly because Haigh worked alongside the exceptional Charlotte Rampling to construct a beautifully human, profoundly evocative story about love and betrayal. Haigh’s previous film, Weekend, tread similar ground, looking at a new relationship between two men. Lean on Pete is both different and similar to both of these films for a number of reasons, but the one feature shared by all of them was Haigh’s avoidance of melodrama, and rather a decision to focus on the more subtle and nuanced aspects of the stories, which elicited far more resonant reactions. The delicacy present in Lean on Pete is almost unheard of – a sweeping but intimate portrayal of a young man looking for meaning in his life, one that feels so epic in scope, but is executed with such nuance. Haigh keeps this film firmly on the central story and avoids all the unnecessary diversions and distractions that would otherwise plague a film like this. It is also remarkable how Haigh was able to evoke a true sense of genuine Americana in his film, considering his previous two films have been unabashedly British, and the arid desert is juxtaposed with the hostile rural suburbs and the scorching amateur race tracks where Charley spends most of his days – yet, Haigh doesn’t intend to display the poverty the characters experience in a way that is exploitative, and even when our protagonist is briefly homeless, the film steers very clearly away from anything resembling melodramatic, over-sentimental storytelling, and rather focuses on the unquestionably human aspects of this story. Lean on Pete is a beautifully-composed film, one that thrives in its simplicity and serves to be a fascinating character study, an exploration of human nature and our relationship with others.

Lean on Pete is an astonishing film, one that is humble but contains raw, brutally honest emotion, showing a story that can resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, feeling like they do not belong. The film features one of the most devastating performances of the year on behalf of Charlie Plummer, who makes a terrific impression with his powerful, honest portrayal of this character. Much of Lean on Pete is focused on Charley’s solo interactions, either with the titular equine companion, or with nature itself, and it takes a talented actor to make it work. The supporting cast of the film are great, but they are secondary to Plummer, who is mesmerizing and leaves an indelible impression with his extraordinary work here. Lean on Pete is a simple, but overwhelmingly impressive work, a realistic and emotionally-resonant film about survival and the extents to which we will go to achieve something, especially if it is something that tests our resilience and our mettle to make the best of our situation, and to just keep moving forward. Andre Haigh made a terrific film, one that has not left my mind for a moment, and one that I think represents a breakthrough for both the director and the leading actor, both of which have done great work before, but with Lean on Pete being their finest work to date. Straightforward, endearing and beautifully made, Lean on Pete is nothing short of a masterwork, and one of the best films of the year.