Written by Sarah Ralph, Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The starlet of the Sundance film festival, “Jockey” made its appearance at the Lucas Theater Friday night with none other than lead actor Clifton Collins Jr. sitting two rows ahead of me. Collins had just graciously received SCAD’s Distinguished Performance Award moments before the film made its Georgia premiere. This independent film won’t be released until December but already is receiving much deserved Oscar buzz.
Collins tackled the role of an older jockey by the name of Jackson who struggles throughout the film with medical problems after years of grueling injuries start to endanger his mobility. With such a low budget, this film was blessed with a phenomenal cast of actors including real life jockeys who have never even set foot on a set before. The film was shot in only 20 days. Collins and director Clint Bentley worked tirelessly in their hotels every night of filming, rewriting and collaborating to create this beautiful production.
A notable element from the film is its naturalistic dialogue. One scene in particular Collins said he even took a step back from his own written lines and let the jockeys just speak from themselves. One of the most heart wrenching moments at the beginning of the film is an Alcoholics Anonymous style group meeting in which the jockeys share stories of their horrific injuries and how its taken a toll on their lives. Most of them spoke about near death experiences being thrown off and trampled by horses going 40 mph down the race track. Jackson, however, is in denial about his injuries; he’s too focused on his legacy to see the mortal danger he continually throws himself into.
I guess I can relate to Jackson’s story in a way and it might be the reason the film brought a tear to my eye and made me so emotional. As someone who has also experienced a horrifically traumatic injury from a horse, it’s hard to move on from it as if nothing happened. As I type this review with my nine fingers and my one little horse bitten off nub, I thank Collins for making me and so many others feel like our stories are being told and we are brave warriors for having lived through it. Collins did the role justice in my opinion. He made me feel like a strong badass just like Jackson.
Usually, seeing a horse’s face in extreme close ups brings back some horrible memories for me, but Bently reminded me of why I fell in love with horses in the first place. The cinematography in this film is without a doubt stunning. Every shot is a warm and beautiful sunrise and sunset. I didn’t even know the sky could contain so many beautiful colors in one moment. The Arizona sun low amongst the palm trees really shows off the Earth’s truly magical natural beauty. It helped me understand Jackson’s world as this warm welcoming place while the hospitals were portrayed as cold and claustrophobic to him. The sun was a beautiful metaphor for the sun setting on Jackson’s career and rising for the next generation of jockeys willing to risk their lives for their sport.
