The Horse Whisperer is a film of contrasts: the driven career wife and mother whose husband and daughter don't quite meet her standard; the traditional ranch wife and mother who subordinates herself, with grace, to her family while wistfully wishing for just a bit more; the gifted horse trainer and cattle rancher who chose the rustic life over his city roots, at peace with his re-discovered values despite a painful divorce from the woman he loved; the loving husband who can never live up to his wife's expectations, though he spends his life trying to please her; the wounded teenage daughter who, unlike her father, rebels against her mother's attempts to mold her in her own image. The catalyst that brings all these contrasts together is a beautiful horse that is horribly injured, both physically and mentally, in an accident that also maims his young rider. Both are so traumatized that they have lost their will to battle their fear and despair. The mother finds a trainer known for his success in gentling troubled horses and drives horse and daughter from New York to Montana to meet him. His quiet strength, patience and ability to sense what is wrong has a profound effect, not only on the horse, but on the young daughter and her mother as well. The movie is long, but the healing process requires time. The pace of the film is appropriate to the unfolding of the story, the lush and majestic scenery and the serenity that seems to emanate from the vastness of the open spaces. The romance that develops between the mother and the trainer is poignant and compelling. The scene between them at the dance is worth the price of admission. Ultimately, the mother must make a choice between resuming her former life returning to (the city, her career and her family) and the seductive stability and tranquility she has come to cherish at the ranch with the man she truly loves and who loves her.
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