Lean on Pete (2017)

There’s nothing quite as moving as films that revolve around animals. And when the animal in question is a gentle, ageing racehorse, you can count on shedding a few tears. Or more than a few – we’re not judging.

Charley is 15 and living with his single father gets a summer job looking after racehorses at a stable. He befriends Lean on Pete, a racehorse that’s past his prime. When his father dies and he discovers the horse is destined for slaughter, Charley steals him and a car and sets off on a cross-country trek alone to find a place where he and Lean on Pete can belong.

Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World) stars alongside his Boardwalk Empire co-star Steve Buscemi as the stable owner, as well as Travis Fimmel (Vikings) as Charley’s dad and actress/model Chloë Sevigny as a jockey.

The movie scored 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and The Guardian said:

“Plummer gives an excellent performance: watchful, sensitive, delicate and yet possessed of a survivor’s impassive quality. Fimmel is also very good in a role that is perhaps smaller than I expected. Buscemi is as robust and confident as ever and Steve Zahn is also strong in a small role as a homeless alcoholic guy.”