In this poignant and hypnotic coming of age tale, Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years, Looking) tells the story of the bond between a neglected boy and a racehorse.

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15 year-old Charley (Charlie Plummer) lives with his unpredictable single father Ray (Australian actor Travis Fimmel, Vikings) in a small house where food is sometimes hard to come by. Having recently moved, Charley has a solitary existence until he happens upon the local racetrack and grumpy trainer Del (Steve Buscemi), who reluctantly hires the boy to help him. In this rather sleazy, unsentimental world of low-purse racing, Charley grows attached to the racehorse Lean on Pete, and forms some sort of family unit with Del and jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny). When Pete is threatened, Charley steals him and the two embark on an epic, danger-filled journey towards some hope of safety. A compassionate and heartrending film, Lean on Pete finds Haigh at his emotive best.

A coming-of-age story that unfolds gradually, Lean on Pete takes place in what the writer Michael Harrington called ‘the invisible land’ of the poor. In American movies, children get roughed up plenty, but rarely by poverty. –Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Anchored by Plummer's extraordinary, acutely observed performance, the hypnotic and haunting Lean on Pete works miracles in miniature, painting a portrait of a marginalized America that cuts deep. – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Supported by UNSW
Running time: 199 minutes
Language: English
Country: UK, USA
Directed by Andrew Haigh

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