Review of Buck

Buck Brannaman professionally performed rope tricks by age six, had his mother die at a young age, and was abused continually by his father, yet through this documentary the viewer is shown a man who uses his background to relate to and help other people and their horses. This documentary follows Buck on his journey across the country hosting clinics to help people with their unruly horses. Buck is described throughout by those close to him as authentic, polite, and no-nonsense, and the film clearly shows these traits. Many people who train horses have adapted the idea of "breaking" the animal, however after seeing Buck clinics many people realize how severe and brutal this common treatment is. Buck experienced first hand the effects of brutality and is therefore able to use his experiences to help others. Although at times repetitive, the documentary really shows what Buck believes and how he developed into the person that he is. Buck believes that horses are a mirror into a human's souls, and although you sometimes don't like what you see, it is necessary to accept our personal insecurities and issues and learn from them. Through analyzing Buck's life and decisions we can see how important it is to not live in the past and to learn from what has happened to us. In my opinion the parts of the documentary that are most worthwhile are the interviews with Buck himself. Although a majority of the documentary consists of what other people have to say about Buck, I think that many of these parts are unnecessary or repetitive.