Character studies and topical analysis are the bread and butter of the documentary world, and Buck represents an excellent entry of the former. Looking deep into the world of Buck Brannaman, a real-life horse whisperer (and yes, he was involved in the Robert Redford film), Buck starts with a review of his process before delving into how he made it his career and how it affects his family. What could have been an incredibly dry topic limited to a very niche audience finds universal appeal in its juxtaposition of people problems with horse problems starting with Buck’s own. Buck has just the right pacing and balances the biographical elements of Buck’s life with his modern enterprise which has made him a celebrity within the equestrian world.
The life story of Buck Brannaman seems perfectly ripe for a screen adaptation: a young boy raised by a brutal father to be a rope trick performer at rodeos then rescued from the volatile environment to live with a woman who has twenty-some foster children and then goes on to become a famed disciplinarian of horses. His early life’s details are filled in by his foster mother, childhood acquaintances, and others who’ve heard his story and have attempted to use it in gaining insight into how his ability to communicate with the animals he rides derives from his troubled past. To Director Cindy Meehl’s credit, the musings of the talking heads and their theories on Buck’s talent never drown out the opportunity for the audience to form their own conclusions on the topic.
When a documentary covers a person impassioned over a job or hobby, it’s easy for the director to make them come across any number of ways, and the tone the documentarian chooses affects what questions they ask and how they edit interviews to fit certain perspectives. Buck approaches Brannaman with an obvious reverence for his attitude both in line and in his profession. Despite being dealt such a cruel-hearted man for a father, Buck bounced back and made the admirable decision to not pass that on to a new generation. In its place, he seems to have adopted a hyper-sensitivity to the needs and feelings of other people and animals. Where some horse-owners think that harsh reprisals and tough-love are the required steps to instilling discipline in their steeds, Buck follows a more intuitive route, one granted to him by suffering through childhood the way he did.
His system proposes that how people treat their horses is reflective of their own insecurities. It’s not an incredibly unique belief nor is it psychologically groundbreaking, but it really impresses when you see him get in the ring with a horse that’s caused its owner nothing but trouble and perform a miraculous transformation leaving in its place a well-mannered horse you’d feel comfortable letting your children ride. However, the documentary shows that there is a limit to Buck’s kindhearted doctrine for training when a woman and her husband bring in a possibly brain-damaged stud, which they haven’t gelded, and which runs with 20-30 other studs. It almost seems to be showing a glimpse of what could have become of Buck had he not received the loving care that he did from his foster mother. The stud is combative and actually attacks people in truly shocking displays of aggression. It’s a perfect endpoint for a documentary whose ultimate point is the role of nature and nurture in the creation of a personality and in the cultivation of respect between two individuals (whether they are horses or humans).
For those that caught the interesting documentary Soundtracker, about a man who has devoted himself to the capturing of soundscapes at the expense of his relationships, Buck sees the opposite result. Buck’s profession helped to mold him into the outgoing and self-confident person that helped him to meet his wife, and which allowed him to share his passion with his daughters. Buck has rejected the parental model his father thrust upon him and found salvation in how he relates to others by practicing with horses. His strategy of mutual respect and giving as good as he gets has endeared him to his wife, his children, and every equestrian enthusiast he meets.
"Buck" opens June 17, 2011 and is rated PG. Documentary. Directed by Cindy Meehl. Starring Buck Brannaman.
