To find some peace, go and see ‘Buck’

I’ve already suggested to one friend, whose wife was reluctant to see “The Tree of Life,” that he should take her to see “Buck.” Not that this documentary about the guy who inspired the whole “Horse Whisperer” movement has anything to do with Terrence Malick’s obscure, some would say opaque, masteriece. But the father-son dynamic is there.

As the movie I’m referring to, “Buck,” shows, Buck Brannaman had a tough childhood. Raised by a stern taskmaser of a father, a guy who likely had a problem with alcohol, Barnnaman was fortunate to be taken in by a loving foster family, further fortunate to be exposed to the horse-training methods of guys such as Tom Dorrance and Bill Hunt — which is more widely referred to as “natural horsemanship.”

But, as he explains in the movie, he had a choice, too. And he proved strong enough to take, and then live, that choice. He takes the demons that likely still torment him and, at least when he is working with horses and horse-owners, silences them with a sense of compassion that could teach us all something.

“Buck” is the kind of film that I’m going to try to recall the next time somebody tailgates me on the freeway or who is rude to me at a grocery check-out stand. Maybe then I won’t react by doing or saying something that will send me into an afternoon of self-loathing and regret.

One can always hope, right?

Below : The trailer for “Buck”