The front porch has a view to die for, a panorama the man stretched out on the living room sickbed can no longer enjoy. With dad days away from checking out, Cal (Owen Teague) returns to the family farm; the beeline he makes past the comatose old man to check on the condition of the family steed is a sad reflection of their relationship. Cal is a pillar of strength when it comes to handling the old man’s passing, until his emotional ties begin to unravel with the unexpected appearance of his equally estranged sister from another mother, Erin (Haley Lu Richardson, the art house answer to Florence Pugh). When you find out what kind of a man their father was, you’ll wonder why they bothered with life support. Not wanting to put down the arthritic stallion, the horse becomes a symbol of their mutual grief as brother and sister agree to drive it to her home in Upstate New York. The skill with which we come to know these characters and their backstories is a rarity in this era of filmmaking by committee, but for Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Uncertainty, What Maisie Knew) it’s business as usual. A somber reflection on how past deeds impact future relationships once again takes center stage in the director’s work. (2022) — Scott Marks
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