The Mustang

Last updated

The Mustang
The Mustang poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Written by
Produced by Alain Goldman
Molly Hallam
Starring
Cinematography Ruben Impens
Edited byGéraldine Mangenot
Music by Jed Kurzel
Production
companies
Distributed by Ad Vitam (France) [2]
Sony Pictures Releasing (Belgium) [2]
Focus Features (United States)
Release dates
  • January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)(Sundance)
  • March 15, 2019 (2019-03-15)(United States)
Running time
96 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Belgium
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.7 million [3]

The Mustang is a 2019 drama film written by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold, and Brock Norman Brock, and directed by Clermont-Tonnerre in her feature directorial debut. It stars Matthias Schoenaerts as an incarcerated inmate who participates in a rehabilitation program centered around training of wild horses. Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Connie Britton, and Bruce Dern appear in supporting roles. The Mustang is based on an actual rehabilitation program in Carson City, Nevada. [4]

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2019, and was released in the United States on March 15, 2019, by Focus Features.

Plot

Rounded up by helicopter, thousands of wild mustangs are taken from the wild to help reduce overpopulation. Of these, a few hundred are sent to prisons to be broken and later sold to support the program.

A psychologist interviews Roman Coleman in a Nevada prison he's been transferred to before they reinsert him into the general population. As he isn't good with people, she assigns him to outdoor maintenance. Roman's pregnant, teenaged daughter Martha gives Roman a surprise visit, asking to sign some papers. After, he tells her not to return.

Roman has been incarcerated for 12 years after leaving his domestic partner permanently brain damaged in an attack. Aware of his short temper and violent tendencies, he has resisted efforts to be reintegrated back into society.

While working maintenance, Roman is seen interacting with a 'dangerous' horse and thereby placed in the rehabilitation program run by rancher Myles that assigns prisoners with training wild mustangs. Each prisoner in the program is given a specific horse to train and they have 12 weeks to complete the training course so they can be sold at an auction.

Roman initially struggles with the training of his mustang, but under the guidance of Henry, an inmate regarded as the top horse trainer, he begins to make progress. As the weeks pass, Roman becomes close with the horse, whom he names Marquis, and forms a friendship with Henry.

Martha returns to get Roman's initials on every page. Discovering she's seeking emancipation to sell the house his mother left them for money to move to the east, he refuses. The anger he feels in that situation carries over into his horse training. Frustration with Marquis causes him to lose his temper, he punches the animal repeatedly which causes Myles to kick him out of the horse training program and into solitary confinement.

Before a thunderstorm strikes, the horse-training inmates are woken to take the horses undercover for safety. Roman redeems himself, both getting him out of solitary and returning him to the training program.

Once Roman has returned to his cell, his addict cellmate Dan blackmails him into smuggling horse tranquilizer like Henry. The program suffers a blow, however, when Dan murders Henry over the ketamine. Roman retaliates by strangling him unconscious before he calls in the guards.

The day of the auction arrives, which Roman invites the pregnant Martha to attend with the hope of improving their relationship. While Roman showcases Marquis to the auctioneers, he becomes distracted after he notices Martha is not present. This distraction leads to disaster when Marquis is startled by an overhead helicopter, causing Roman to fall off his horse and nearly be trampled as the other trainers restrain Marquis.

Shortly afterwards, Roman learns from Myles that Marquis has been deemed untrainable and will be euthanized. Taking advantage of the prison gates being damaged by the thunderstorm, Roman is able to help Marquis escape.

Some time later, Roman receives a letter from Martha acknowledging her father's refusal to leave prison. The letter also includes a photo of Martha with Roman's newly-born grandson, who she intends to have Roman meet during her next visit. After Roman finishes reading the letter, he spots Marquis standing by the prison fence and smiles.

Cast

Production

In May 2017, it was announced Matthias Schoenaerts and Jason Mitchell had joined the cast of the film, with Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre directing from a screenplay she wrote, alongside Mona Fastvold and Brock Norman Brock. Canal+, Cine+, will produce the film, alongside Alain Goldman and Molly Hallam serving as a producer and executive producer under their Legende banner. [5] In October 2017, Susan Sarandon, Gideon Adlon, Bruce Dern, Josh Stewart joined the cast of the film. [6] [7] Sarandon later departed from the cast and was replaced by Connie Britton. [8]

Filming took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City, Nevada. [4]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2019. [9] [10] It was released in a limited theatrical release on March 15, 2019, [11] [12] and on VOD by Universal Home Entertainment on June 4, 2019. [3] [12]

Reception

Box office

The Mustang grossed $5.3 million in the United States and Canada, and a worldwide total of $6.7 million. [3]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 135 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads "The Mustang finds fresh perspectives in a familiar redemption tale brought brilliantly to life by powerful performances from Bruce Dern and Matthias Schoenaerts." [12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [13]

Related Research Articles

The Mustang Ranch is a brothel in Storey County, Nevada, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Reno. It is currently located at 1011 Wild Horse Canyon Drive, Sparks, Nevada, 89434.

A mustang is a free-ranging horse of the American west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Dern</span> American actor (born 1936)

Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American actor. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver Bear for Best Actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Coming Home (1978) and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Nebraska (2013). He is also a BAFTA Award, two-time Genie Award, and three-time Golden Globe Award nominee.

<i>The Misfits</i> (1961 film) 1961 film by John Huston

The Misfits is a 1961 American contemporary Western film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift. The supporting cast includes Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. Adapted by Miller from his own short story of the same name published in Esquire in October 1957, The Misfits was the last completed film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. For Gable, the film was posthumously released as he died three months before this film's premiere, while Monroe died in August 1962, over a year after its release. The plot centers on Roslyn Tabor (Monroe), a newly divorced woman from Reno, and her relationships with friendly landlady Isabelle Steers, an old-school cowboy Gaylord Langland (Gable), his tow-truck driving and plane-flying best friend (Wallach), and their rodeo-riding, bronc-busting friend (Clift).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will James (artist)</span> Canadian-American artist and writer (1892–1942)

William Roderick James was a Canadian-American artist and writer of the American West. He is known for writing Smoky the Cowhorse, for which he won the 1927 Newbery Medal, and numerous "cowboy" stories for adults and children. His artwork, which predominantly involved cowboy and rodeo scenes, followed "in the tradition of Charles Russell", and much of it was used to illustrate his books. In 1992, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

The Wild Horse Adult Resort and Spa is an adult entertainment complex about 14 miles (23 km) east of Reno, Nevada, that has been home to two separate legal, licensed brothels: the Wild Horse Ranch and the Mustang Ranch. It opened in 2002 with the Wild Horse Ranch, the Mustang Ranch was added in 2005, and the Wild Horse Ranch closed in 2011. The brothel was the subject of the 2003 BBC TV documentary film Louis and the Brothel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Schoenaerts</span> Belgian actor

Matthias Schoenaerts is a Belgian actor. He made his film debut at the age of 13 in Daens (1992), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He is best known for his roles as Filip in Loft (2008), Jacky Vanmarsenille in the Oscar-nominated Bullhead (2011), Ali in the BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominee Rust and Bone (2012), for which he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor, Eric Deeds in The Drop (2014), Bruno von Falk in Suite Française (2015), Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd (2015), Hans Axgil in The Danish Girl (2015) and Uncle Vanya in Red Sparrow (2018). Schoenaerts received critical acclaim for his portrayal of an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD in Disorder (2015), and for his performance as an inmate training a wild horse in The Mustang (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Carson</span> American actor (1920–1990

Sunset Carson was an American B-western star of the 1940s.

<i>Return to Lonesome Dove</i> 1993 film

Return to Lonesome Dove is a 1993 American four part television miniseries, written by John Wilder involving characters created in Larry McMurtry's Western novel Lonesome Dove which was broadcast by CBS and first aired on November 14–17, 1993. The story focuses on a retired Texas Ranger and his adventures driving mustangs from Texas to Montana. It was nominated for an Emmy Award, and followed by Lonesome Dove: The Series.

<i>Rust and Bone</i> 2012 film directed by Jacques Audiard

Rust and Bone is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, based on Craig Davidson's short story collection Rust and Bone. It tells the story of a nightclub bouncer who falls in love with a woman who trains killer whales and lost her legs in a workplace accident. The film is a co-production between France and Belgium.

Brock Norman Brock is a British screenwriter and playwright. Early in his career, his play Here is Monster was nominated for the Verity Bargate Award. The premiere production in 1990–91 was staged by the Show of Strength Theatre Company and directed by Mark Ravenhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2015 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 22 to February 1, 2015. What Happened, Miss Simone?, a biographical documentary film about American singer Nina Simone, opened the festival. Comedy-drama film Grandma, directed by Paul Weitz, served as the closing night film.

<i>Disorder</i> (2015 film) 2015 film

Disorder is a 2015 French-Belgian co-production neo-noir thriller film directed by Alice Winocour about a home invasion, starring Matthias Schoenaerts as an ex-soldier with PTSD. It was screened in competition in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Amaral</span>

Anthony Amaral was an American West Historian and horse trainer. He wrote books and articles on movie and feral horses, as well a biography of Western novelist and artist Will James.

<i>Racer and the Jailbird</i> 2017 film by Michaël R. Roskam

Racer and the Jailbird is a 2017 drama film directed by Michaël R. Roskam, starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Adèle Exarchopoulos. A gangster and a racing car driver fall in love, set against the background of a brutal crime gang in Brussels. It was selected to be screened out of competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017. It was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It received five nominations at the 8th Magritte Awards, including Best Flemish Film.

<i>The Tale</i> 2018 film by Jennifer Fox

The Tale is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Jennifer Fox and starring Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Isabelle Nélisse, Common, Frances Conroy, and John Heard. It tells the story of Fox's own child sexual abuse and her coming to terms with it in her later life. It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO on May 26, 2018. In a 2023 interview with The New York Times, Fox revealed the identity of the man who abused her: Ted Nash, a two-time Olympic medalist in rowing and nine-time Olympic coach.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre</span> French actress, director and producer

Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre is a French film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Beginning as an actress in primarily French film and television, she transitioned into film directing and screenwriting. In 2019, she directed, associated produced, and co-wrote her debut feature film, The Mustang. For the film, she was nominated for Best First Feature at the 35th Independent Spirit Awards and she won the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the 2019 Gotham Independent Film Awards. She also won Best First Feature at the 24th Satellite Awards. She had previously written and directed two shorts, Atlantic Avenue and Rabbit, debuting the latter at Sundance Film Festival. In 2019, she also directed three episodes, including the pilot, of the TV show The Act. In 2022, she directed Lady Chatterley's Lover, a film adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, starring Emma Corrin.

Joseph Conforte was an American legal brothel owner from Sparks, Nevada, professional boxing promoter, restaurateur, and philanthropist. Conforte owned and ran Mustang Ranch. Wanted by the FBI, he escaped the U.S. and lived in Brazil during his older years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Politowski</span> Swedish independent film producer

Adrian Politowski né Murshid is a BAFTA-nominated Swedish film producer, fund manager, and entrepreneur. He co-founded and was CEO of Umedia from 2004 to 2019. He currently is the Executive Chairman of the production and financing group Align that he co-founded and ran as CEO (2019-2024). His career is focused on three areas:

References

  1. ↑ "Nevada | France 3 Cinema".
  2. 1 2 "Film #85366: The Mustang". Lumiere . Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Mustang (2019)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Penrose, Kelsey (March 7, 2019). "'The Mustang' filmed at Carson City's historic prison arrives in theaters March 15". CarsonNow.org. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  5. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (May 20, 2017). "Cannes: Focus Nabs Matthias Schoenaerts-Jason Mitchell Drama 'Mustang' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (October 4, 2017). "Susan Sarandon & Gideon Adlon Join Focus Features Drama 'Mustang'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (October 26, 2017). "Josh Stewart Joins Matthias Schoenaerts' Drama 'Mustang' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  8. ↑ Boone, John (March 13, 2019). "'The Mustang' Star Recalls the Scene That Made Him Think 'People Are Gonna Die' (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  9. ↑ Debruge, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  10. ↑ "The Mustang". Sundance Film Festival . Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  11. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 28, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Matthias Schoenaerts' Horse-Training Drama 'Mustang' Set for March Release". Variety . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 "The Mustang (2019)", Rotten Tomatoes , Fandango , retrieved October 17, 2021
  13. ↑ The Mustang , retrieved August 11, 2020
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.