Robert Redford is deservedly a cinematic icon. Thriving behind-the-scenes and on-screen, some of the best of his filmography is marked by rugged landscapes with intimate and emotionally resonant stories of the American West, like Jeremiah Johnson and the ultimate bromance movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His directorial debut, Ordinary People in 1980, won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, revealing another side to the acclaimed movie star, who surprisingly has only one Oscar nomination for acting. In 1998, he again showed that he can offer the best of both worlds by making the neo-Western The Horse Whisperer, billing himself as director, producer, and the film’s leading man. The Horse Whisperer is a quiet film shot in the flamboyant Montana countryside and intimately showcases Redford’s artistic sensibilities. It is also a film about human connections as well as their relationship with the most important domesticated animal in the Western genre: the horse. However, with a beautifully crafted story, The Horse Whisperer promised to join the pantheon of his classics—only to fall short due to its underwhelming ending.
What Is ‘The Horse Whisperer’ About?

Adapted from Nicholas Evans’ bestselling novel, The Horse Whisperer tells the story of a determined mother who goes to great lengths to seek therapy for her daughter and her horse after a fatal accident. The film opens with Grace (played by a teenage Scarlett Johansson) and her horse Pilgrim getting involved in an accident that kills her best friend Judith (Kate Bosworth) and her horse Gulliver. Grace and Pilgrim survive, albeit with physical and psychological scars. Grace’s mother, Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas), desperate to mend her daughter’s fractures, contacts a renowned horse handler, Tom Booker (Redford), who takes up the challenge on condition that he trains both the horse and Grace. Mother and daughter travel from New York to the picturesque Booker’s Montana ranch. While on the ranch, the unhappily married Annie, a high-powered magazine editor with a lawyer husband (Sam Neill), finds herself drawn to the simple yet profound wisdom and charm of Redford’s Tom Booker.
‘The Horse Whisperer’ Explores Complex and Intimate Human and Animal Connections

Image via Buena Vista Pictures

The film delves into themes of trauma, love, and redemption, as well as the complex relationships between humans and animals. Its unconventional romance forms its emotional core. On the surface, Annie, with her near-perfect American life, should be a happy soul. She has a good job, a great husband, and a daughter, both of whom love her. Admittedly, she sometimes has a hard time with her seemingly rebellious teenage daughter, but it’s the kind of rebellion that stems from a conflict of excess love rather than resentment. When Annie gets to the ranch, however, she realizes the vanity of it all. She gives up her job and slowly develops a connection with the laid-back Redford’s Tom while questioning what life is.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the film is its depiction of the bond between humans and horses. Western movies have often studied this unique relationship, with horses becoming important characters in many films in the genre. Famously, Jimmy Stewart made seventeen movies with his favorite horse named Pie. In The Horse Whisperer, Grace’s traumatized Pilgrim, who rears, strikes, and bites at anyone approaching him after the fatal accident, is played by three horses belonging to the renowned horse trainer and actor, Rex Peterson. Pilgrim’s recovery parallels Grace’s own journey and opens a can of suppressed feelings between Annie and her husband. Redford’s direction lingers on sweeping vistas juxtaposed with tender moments captured in intimate close-ups that complement the story’s emotional depth. Despite its beautiful cinematic attributes, The Horse Whisperer falters in its ending.
‘The Horse Whisperer’ Offers a Lackluster Ending

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

After building an emotionally charged narrative around Tom and Annie’s growing connection, the film resolves their romance with an abrupt and unsatisfying parting. Their intriguing, forbidden love story brims with passion and tension that is full of promise. Yet, after this magnificent set-up, it is snuffed out as quietly as it begins. It’s a lackluster, consequence-free resolution that doesn’t deliver the catharsis promised by its narrative. For a start, the film takes us through Annie’s psychological journey that starts with a tolerance for the countryside for the sake of the mission at hand rather than falling in love with it. She nearly ridicules the simple lifestyle that Tom and his people live. As time goes by, she questions her own life and wonders if her city’s hustling and bustling is worth it after all. She soon becomes enthralled by the cowboy lifestyle that Montana offers. She falls in love with Tom and has a rare opening up with her husband about her newfound feelings. It is therefore a disservice to its plot when The Horse Whisperer resolves this story arc with Annie’s decision to return to New York, leaving Tom behind in Montana, just like his previous wife had done. While faithful to Evans’ novel, it is a jarring conclusion that diminishes the film’s impact on screen. It leaves the audience with the question: What was all the growth for? What was Annie’s journey about?
Had Redford chosen another route for the film’s ending, it could have been a timeless romance classic. As beautiful and moving as The Horse Whisperer is, it remains a near-classic that falls just short.
The Horse Whisperer is available to rent on Amazon Prime in the U.S.
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The Horse Whisperer

Release Date

May 14, 1998

Runtime

164