Lean on Pete

A teenager without family or friends attempts to travel across America with a horse to reach an aunt he's been out of contact with.

There's something held down and muted about "Lean on Pete", and while that style has honesty, you can't read the mind of the boy without family or friends who has to survive in desperate circumstances. He scrapes along but leaves the audience behind. The cinematography is striking but it's hard to have unbridled enthusiasm when there's little emotional pull and we're kept at arm's length from all of the characters, including the horse. Reined in.

Limited Release 29th November 2018
Transmission Films 122 mins