The Long Rider Film Review

            

 

The Long Rider is a documentary about the incredible story of Man and Horse against the world. After moving to Calgary with his family at the age of nine, Filipe Masetti Leite dreamt of traveling back to his home in Brazil on Horseback. Felipe was inspired by “Tschiffely’s Ride,” the true story of Swiss author/adventurer Aimé Félix Tschiffely, who in the 1920s rode from Argentina to New York with two beloved horses. After many years of training and preparation, Felipe set out on the 16,000 km journey in 2012 and has since extended his travel on horseback to over 25,000 km.

As Felipe journey's through beautiful scenic views, he discovers along the way that something as simple and innocent as traveling on horseback comes with many setbacks that are far from beautiful that no amount of preparation could prepare him for. His journey comes with many hardships through rugged terrain, drought, the cartel, and difficult border crossings but for every hard time, there were many touching moments along the way that show just how wonderful human beings can be. Director Sean Cisterna captures all of these moments in gorgeous fashion as we go on this journey with Filipe.

Filipe saw his world changing at a very young age and told himself that he wanted to live it how he wanted. It is inspirational to see someone make such large leaps when so many people are telling you how crazy you must be to try something. Everyone is able to relate to and appreciate this story of perseverance, struggle, and commitment to one's own happiness.His struggle bridged borders and united people

The Long Rider opens up in select theatres this Friday, June 8th, and July 29th. If you have an opportunity to see this film, it will make you a more humbling person and appreciate life and all of its beauty.

Overall: 4/5 stars

Review Contributor: Stefano Bove