Lean on Pete Trailer Reveals A24's Boy and His Horse Drama

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‘Lean on Pete’ Trailer Reveals A24’s "Boy and His Horse" Drama from Director Andrew Haigh

By Adam Chitwood

Published Dec 7, 2017

No *you* have something in your eye.

A24 has released the first trailer for the upcoming drama Lean on Pete. Directed by Weekend and 45 Years filmmaker Andrew Haigh, the film stars Charlie Plummer as a 15-year-old boy who moves to Portland, Oregon with his single father looking for a fresh start. But after taking a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean on Pete, the boy decides to take the horse, hit the road, and go looking for his birth mother.

With both Weekend and 45 Years, as well as Haigh’s short-lived HBO series Looking, the filmmaker has shown a knack for tugging at your heartstrings while avoiding getting too saccharine or cheesy, and that certainly appears to be the case here. Reviews for Lean on Pete were fairly strong when it made the fall film festival circuit rounds earlier this year, and our own Brian Formo gave it something of a mixed review.

A24’s track record is pristine and Haigh is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today, so I’m all in. Check out the Lean on Pete trailer below. The film also stars Steve Buscemi, Travis Fimmel, and Chloë Sevigny and opens in theaters on March 30th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Lean on Pete:

Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) arrives in Portland, Oregon with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel), both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s gruff owner Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and his seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence—until he discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare his new friend’s life. Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn’t seen in years. They experience adventure and heartbreak in equal measure, but never lose their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they pursue their dream of finding a place they can call home.