Horse Girl
HORSE GIRL - NETFLIX
Premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Horse Girl, the new Netflix film from Alison Brie and Jeff Baena – who is also the writer and director of The Little Hours – feels like watching an early 2010 Tumblr page come to life, insufferable fandom and alien obsession included.
The film follows Brie’s socially awkward character, Sarah – a young woman who works in anarts and craft store, spends time at a horse ranch, and binge-watching Purgatory, the film’s take on Supernatural. Quickly into the film, Sarah begins sleepwalking, losing track of time, and increasingly losing touch with reality. She believes that she has been abducted by aliens and is the clone of her grandmother, all of which alienate her more from the people around her, rounded out by the likes of Molly Shannon, Debby Ryan, and John Reynolds.
Alison Brie has proven in the years following Community and Mad Men that she is a talented performer- thanks in part to roles in fellow Netflix projects GLOW and Bojack Horseman. The role of Sarah is one Brie commits to, fully embodying the mental illness’ toll on the character that significantly shows her range as an actress. It is her performance that keeps the film together and renders it generally watchable.
The biggest issue with the film is that it cannot seem to commit to whatever genre it truly wants to be. The first half plays a bit more like a dramedy, introducing us to Brie's character byshowing depicting her social awkwardness. It is the film’s second half that turns more into a drama about a woman on the psychological decline – so when comedic bits show up, like her discussing being a clone with her doctor – they tend to create a clash in the tone of the film, which never really recovers.
The film’s score – composed by Jeremy Zuckerman and Josiah Steinbrick –sounds a bit similar to Jon Brion's experimental score for Punch-Drunk Love- giving a unique sound to the deterioration of the character’s mindset. The film's cinematography, handled by Sean McElwee,gives much of it a soft look, embracing colours, while keeping things muted and well framed. Much of the look and feel of the film harkens back to '70s cinema with liberal use of zooms and some impressive editing choices to display Sarah’s mental illness.
Horse Girl, anchored by Alison Brie's committed turn, could just have been better. The script, written by Brie and directed by Jeff Baena, gives none of the supporting cast much else to do beyond reacting to Brie's continued decline. With no clear voice or idea of itself but portraying the character’s mental state, the film suffers from many of the cliches that this type of films suffer. Alison Brie is constantly getting the chance to flex her skills, and while she commands the hell out of Horse Girl, the film itself ultimately does not work.
HORSE GIRL is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX February 7th 2020
