Horse Girl (2020)

Sarah, a socially isolated woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.

Director:

Jeff Baena

Writers:

Jeff Baena, Alison Brie

Stars:

Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Goldenite

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alison Brie	...	Sarah
Molly Shannon	...	Joan
Goldenite	...	Willow
Stella Chestnut	...	Shannon (as Stella Chesnut)
John Ortiz	...	Ron
Lauren Weedman	...	Cheryl
Hazel Armenante	...	Emma
Robin Tunney	...	Agatha Kaine
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Darren Colt
Debby Ryan	...	Nikki
Jake Picking	...	Brian
Mary Apick	...	Tarot Card Reader
Toby Huss	...	Joe
Angela Trimbur	...	Julie
Aaron Stanford	...	Hades

Storyline

Sarah, a socially isolated arts and crafts store employee, finds herself more content in the company of horses and supernatural crime shows than people. But when a series of strangely surreal dreams upend the simplicity of her waking life, Sarah struggles to distinguish her visions from reality. A darkly humorous psychological thriller about a woman's search for the truth, however abstract it may be.

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Plot Keywords:

schizophrenia | dream | paranoia | mental illness | social awkwardness | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The same exact shades of two colors (blue-grey and peach) are used throughout the film. Blue-grey is when Sarah is feeling more lucid, and peach when she is less lucid.

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Quotes

Sarah: My mom used to say that I have an overactive imagination.

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Connections

References Columbo (1971)

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Soundtracks

Average Joe
Written by Stephen Emil Dudas
Courtesy of Extreme Music

User Reviews

Quirky Indie Movie meets Surreal Odyssey

"Horse Girl" is the story of a lonely, awkward woman who has recently experienced severe trauma and is struggling to deal with it without a suitable support structure. The dialogue here was not scripted out in advance; just a detailed outline from which the actors improvised their lines. There's a unusual feeling of authenticity because of it- not because it seems like a documentary (far from it!), but because in the midst of all the super-weirdness there are surprisingly human and relatable characters.

This is a quirky indie movie, but it's also an existential mediation; it's a bizarre out-there odyssey while also being a bedroom character study. How far you go with it will depend on your toleration for this kind of melting-pot of different genres. But if you're a fan of surreal films that grapple with the nature of reality and how we experience it, then, while you might not revere this as a masterwork, it's definitely worth your time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horse Girl

Company Credits

Production Co:

Duplass Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1