You’ve just come out of a movie feeling intense emotions of love, kindness towards others, the good in life, and you long to share and inspire others to pay it forward.
This is how I felt after seeing the movie “Buck.”
“Buck” is the story of Buck Brannaman, a true cowboy who endured a violent, abusive upbringing, and succeeded in overcoming tremendous personal odds.
After years of being physically beaten by his alcoholic father, Buck was placed in a loving foster home where he developed a phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he is described as the “real deal” by Robert Redford. Everyone who meets Buck for the first time is taken by his authenticity.
Buck admits that the violence of his upbringing transformed him into the person he has become today, and his approach is to teach people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. He’s able to transform horses and people with the approach,
“I’m helping horses with people problems,”
and the movie succeeds in showing us the animal-human relationship and how it becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life.
I’ve never been exposed to horses, ranches or cowboys. Growing up in the suburbs of Paris with museums, cultural events and gourmet restaurants, could not be further from a cowboy’s lifestyle, yet Buck showed me the human side of horses and an understanding of how they can teach us so much about our own insecurities, problems and character flaws.
Buck Brannaman explains that a horse views a human tossing a saddle on his back much the way he would view a lion attack. He has a way of explaining to some doubting horse owners, who attend his clinics, his techniques which are all based on love and not punishment.
“Your horse is a mirror of you. Some may not like what they see. Some might.”
His no nonsense advice reminds me of the approach that Dr. Phil takes with those who seek help on his show. Buck shows us that raising horses is like raising children, they need guidelines and sometimes “tough love” is also required to build trust and mutual respect. Trying to bribe a horse with carrots and sugar leads to a spoiled, unresponsive horse, the same argument can be made for that type of parenting approach.
Strangely enough, you never see Buck whisper; he just snaps and waves a couple of red flags to convince the animal he cares about them. He has the ability to control any horse, even the feistiest and most deadly horses, and manages to appease them by remaining calm and non-threatening.
Buck is equally successful in his interaction with people and he holds clinics all over the West to show owners and trainers how to tame the liveliest colts. The movie shows his loving relationship with his wife and daughter, who performs at rodeos with him two months out of the year.
Buck’s turnaround was in great part due to the love he received from his foster mother. She is a delightful old lady who raised Buck with all the love that he didn’t receive from his own dad. Her love for Buck is obvious and what struck me as a major learning lesson in this film is just how much a parent can influence a child’s life into adulthood. I sensed that everyone watching the film was thinking about two things:
- their childhood and the choices they have made as adults.
- their parenting skills.
Have you seen the movie? Please share your thoughts even if you haven’t seen Buck.
I would love to see it now that you’ve reviewed it. I’m sure you’re right about what everyone was thinking when they left. It comes back to my theory about those who choose to be a victim. You have no control, as a child, if you are victimized by an adult. But as an adult you do have the control and, hopefully, understanding to make a conscious choice not to live as a victim for the rest of your life.
Thanks for the post I’ll be looking for the film.
b
Barbara,
I must say I thought of you while writing this post after what I’ve read about your own childhood. You won’t be disappointed.
I haven’t seen it, but NOW I will make sure that I see it very soon! Thank you!
Shelly Gregory recently posted..Happy Top of the Week!
Shelly,
Glad to hear that. As I said, it’s so inspiring that it truly makes us want to make the best choices in life. Let me know what you think or if you post about it yourself.
I was curious as to why I hadn’t heard of this, but when I went to http://www.amazon.com I realized it is quite new. Very cutting edge!. If you have never done so, I would suggest that you copy your post as an Amazon review. It’s easy and you would be only the third. Great, free exposure. The reviews on my book “Harnessing a Heritage” were essentially posts from friends who read and liked it. Thanks for the post. I have family and friends who will also thank you.
Thanks for the great tip Dee. Hope you and your family enjoy this movie.
I haven’t seen the movie but it sounds very inspiring. It is great to hear about someone who has overcome the odds the way you describe Buck doing. I will have to see the movie.
Jeanie recently posted..A Minor Dilemma
Yes Jeanie. I think you’ll enjoy every aspect, especially if you like horses too. Looks like all women produced, filmed, directed and edited this movie.
I’ll watch out for this film definitely. A lot of kids have tough, complicated lives because of the adults who raise them. It’s a huge responsibility to be a parent. There are some people who quite frankly should never have the job, but luckily the majority are enthusiastic, loving and genuinely trying to do their best.
Stephanie recently posted..Quick Taste of Haute Touche
Stephanie,
Yes, you’re right, most of us try to do our best as parents.
Sounds like a wonderfully inspiring film!
Lady Fi recently posted..Summer rain
It really was. Unfortunately this is the kind of movie you an only find in theaters that play more Indie type films.
This was a great review. I have heard of this movie, now I want to see it for sure.
Pseudo, Let me know what you think.
Haven’t seen the movie but after your review of it, how can I miss it? I wonder if this man had this talent before the abuse and he would have used it anyway, or if the years of abuse and subsequent kindness gave him a reason to use a talent he might otherwise have overlooked?
Penelope J. recently posted..The Different Faces of San Diego
Buck was trained at an early age by his abusive father to do roping tricks and to be with horses. His mother protected him and he loved her. When she died, the abuse got worse and he ran away one night. I think the abuse made him realize that “punishment” is the worst thing to get someone to act the way you want them to.
Buck sounds like a great movie! Thank you for this honest review. I am very curious now about this movie. I would definitely check this movie.
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