Entertainment
Before ‘Train Dreams,’ Its Director Made His Stunning Debut With a ‘Fallout’ Star
Clint Bentley and Greg Kweder have an interesting creative partnership in which they write and direct films together, but trade off taking on the director’s position. Kweder earned unanimous praise for his extraordinary work on the prison drama Sing Sing, but Bentley proved he was just as talented with Train Dreams, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Although there is a shared dedication to realism present in both filmmakers’ styles, Bentley’s projects tend to be more ethereal and, at times, experimental. Bentley made his underrated directorial debut with Jockey, a stirring drama about an aging horse rider facing a reckoning within his career.
Jockey stars Clifton Collins Jr. as Jackson Silva, a legendary racer who has suffered several serious injuries that threaten his future prospects in competitions. Despite having broken his back on three separate occasions, Silva is courted by the horse trainer Ruth Wilkes (Molly Gordon) to ride the thoroughbred Dido’s Lament, which she feels could go all the way. Jockey also features a remarkable performance by Moisés Arias, best known for his performance on Fallout, as the young jockey Gabriel, who has reason to believe that Silva could be his father. Jockey isn’t a traditional inspirational sports film, but a thoughtful character drama about whether one’s achievements define their career.
‘Jockey’ Is a Methodical, Deeply Felt Psychological Drama
As was the case with both Sing Sing and Train Dreams, Jockey was made with authenticity in mind because it showed an incredible amount of respect for the community that it was depicting. In addition to being shot at the real Turf Paradise racetrack in Phoenix, Jockey employed many non-actors who made the film feel even more like a slice-of-life. While there is an original story being told about a specific character, what Silva experiences is similar to what many real jockeys go through, particularly when it comes to the all-consuming nature of the profession. The film finds an interesting way to characterize Silva’s journey because he is no longer at the point in his life where he could do anything else; for better or worse, he’s dedicated so much time to the practices required of a jockey that it would be impossible for him to pick up a new career or alter his routine.
The Year’s Most Baffling Oscar Nomination Is This Underseen Documentary Now on Streaming
Barely anyone had seen this documentary before the film received its nomination, but now, it’s on streaming.
Jockey doesn’t necessarily glamorize the rigors of horse riding, as there is surprisingly little footage of the races themselves. Much of Jockey is set within the sidelines, stables, tracks, and local taverns where Silva spends his days, as he can never be too far away from the competition. There’s a beauty to how insular his world is, as he’s found a community that is willing to support his way of living, even if it would be considered a risk to an outsider. Bentley isn’t interested in defending or condemning the choices that Silva made because the point of the film is that he has to live with them; while there are gorgeously rendered images, some of which have the naturalist beauty of a Terrence Malick film, everything in Jockey is fragile and could disappear at any given moment. It’s an appropriate tone to craft for a film that is so indebted to neo-Western dramas, which creates a timeless quality to the depiction of the profession. As Silva becomes keen to teach Gabriel, the training and riding of horses has been done the same way for centuries, and there’s little that contemporary technology could do to modify the practice.
‘Jockey’ Has the Best Performance of Clifton Collins Jr.’s Career
Given how challenging it can be for independent films to find an audience, Jockey deserved more credit for the strength of Bentley’s directorial vision and its uncompromising approach to the material. Collins is an actor who has been giving great performances for decades, but Jockey finally allowed him to show what he could do as the lead; as for Bentley, his ability to make something both unconventional and emotionally rewarding is deserving of praise, especially given how much groundwork it laid for what he and Kweder would eventually do with Sing Sing and Train Dreams. There aren’t many films about horse racing that are as interested in the minutiae as Jockey is, but it’s also rare to see a film so blunt and mature in its depiction of aging. Bentley certainly seems like he is on his way to becoming one of the most interesting American independent filmmakers of his generation, and Jockey should be remembered as the film that first showcased his potential.
Jockey is available to stream on Starz in the U.S.
- Release Date
-
December 29, 2021
- Runtime
-
94 Minutes
- Director
-
Clint Bentley