Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes the universe creates its own balance. Watching this little independent gem the day before watching the new Avengers movie reinforces what a diverse art form the cinema provides. Writer/director Chloe Zhao continues to make her presence felt as a filmmaker, and movie lovers are the beneficiaries.

While filming her feature film debut SONGS MY BROTHER TAUGHT ME on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 2015, Ms. Zhao met Brady Jandreau, a rising young star on the rodeo circuit. She knew a movie was in their future, but it wasn't until the following year when the story wrote itself. Brady suffered a severe head injury after being bucked by a bronco. He was in a coma for 3 days, and a metal plate was screwed into his skull. Doctors warned Brady that riding a horse again could kill him.

This is not a documentary, but it's pretty darn close. Brady Jandreau plays Brady Blackburn, a rodeo bronco rider and horse trainer who is recovering from a severe head injury. Mr. Landreau's real father Tim and sister Lilly also appear as themselves. In fact, most of the characters are locals rather than actors, and many (including the Jandreaus) are part of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe on the reservation. Also playing himself is Lane Scott, Brady's best friend who is now paralyzed and unable to speak - the tragic result of another rodeo ride gone wrong. These two are like brothers, and their interactions provide some of the most emotional moments in the movie.

The film is more cycle of life, than circle of life. It's about having a lifelong dream snatched from your clutches. We follow Brady as he searches for his new place in life. Campfire confessions with his rodeo buddies portray the bond created by risking life and limb. His mother is dead, and Brady's dad has spent a lifetime telling him to "cowboy up" - meaning, be a man and fight through every situation. Now dad is telling him to "let it go" and "move on". This contradicts his friends who encourage him to not give up on his dream.

Brady's moments with his sister Lilly are some of the sweetest and most poignant. Despite her autism, Lilly is precious as she sings songs and offers clear insight to her brother. This is less about acting and more about being. Guns, horses, and pot play significant roles throughout, as does the stunning South Dakota landscape as photographed by cinematographer Joshua James Richards. The intimacy of Brady's internal struggle somehow dwarfs the breathtaking sunsets. His quietly simmering intensity is masked by a stone face that only seems to brighten when around friend Lane, sister Lilly, or training yet another "unbreakable" horse.

Rather than traditional story arc, this is simply a compelling way of life for people who put up no false fronts. Brady is trying to figure out how to be a man after life has stolen his dream. One's purpose is essential to one's being, and thanks to filmmaker Zhao we witness how one tough cowboy fights through.

Brady Blackburn lives with his father Wayne and his younger autistic sister Lilly. He's a rodeo cowboy who suffered a bad head injury after getting thrown. The injury has long lasting effects and he's ordered not to ride anymore. His drunken father gambles away any money and sells Brady's horse to keep the trailer.

This is a slice of life movie. It's low on melodrama and high on character study. Being such an important part of the film, I'd prefer a more established actor in the lead. The lead is very natural as a quiet stoic cowboy. He needs to project his inner turmoil but the amateur is not a real actor. It's almost a cinematic look inside a real family. In that way, there is a great realism in this world but the acting intensity is much lower.

"The Rider" takes us on a young man's journey--and I mean a young man. A serious contender on the rodeo circuit, this boy has a bad fall and suffers brain damage. This damage is never discounted. He does what he can to maintain the macho bit, but he knows that his future is going to be away from horses. He lives with his father and sister. They are in relative poverty and their prospects are not good. Someone said, in another review, that this is a lot like a documentary, in that there are few spectacular moments Brady has no outlet for his wishes, even though he tries. I appreciated that the film did not try to insult our intelligence by making it a kind of Rocky movie. Beautifully crafted in the flat Dakota grasslands, it works on nearly every level.