Based on a true story, THE RIDER stars breakout Brady Jandreau as a once rising star of the rodeo circuit warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.

REVIEWS

“Comes as close to a spiritual experience as anything I’ve encountered in a movie theater this year.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

“A work of heartbreaking beauty.” – Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice

“Zhao turns material that might have been treacly and simple-minded into an allegory of male identity…with the quality of myth.” – Peter Keough, Boston Globe