Lean on Pete at HOME

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Lean on Pete - HOME
Image courtesy of HOME

Lean on Pete at HOME Manchester, Manchester 4 — 24 May 2018 Tickets from £5.50

Responsible for two of the most notable British films of the past decade in Weekend and 45 Years, Andrew Haigh treads that well worn path across the Atlantic for his latest work, Lean on Pete. A film about America of the kind often produced by foreigners seduced by the cinematographic possibilities of its vast open landscapes and the narrative possibilities of the road — see Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas for the classic example and Andrea Arnold’s American Honey for one of the most recent — Haigh’s latest tells the tragedy of a boy and his horse, of broken social systems and the kindness, or otherwise, of strangers.

Based upon the novel by Willy Vlautin, Charlie Plummer stars as Charley, a resourceful 15-year-old boy living with his single father in the Pacific Northwest, who takes a job working as a stable hand to earn some extra cash. The plot tracks Charley as he forms a bond with a racehorse named Lean on Pete, and for a brief time, finds something of a surrogate family in Steve Buscemi’s washed-up stable owner and Chloë Sevigny’s troubled jockey. When Lean on Pete stops winning and looks glue factory-bound, Charley intervenes and escapes with the horse onto the open road.

As a modern day western, Lean on Pete has more in common with the spare poetry of the films of Kelly Reichardt (Meek’s Cutoff, Certain Women) than any of the genre’s more explosive touchstones. Plummer is impressive in a quiet, withdrawn role, helped in no small part by his director’s skill at depicting the interiority of his characters. Given his outsider status, Haigh remains alert to the dangers of exploiting or sentimentalising this sojourn into the margins of American society; maintaining a tough, but deeply lyrical tone as he settles into the story’s bleak rhythms.

Lean on Pete at HOME Manchester, Manchester 4 — 24 May 2018

Book Now

What's on at HOME Manchester

What's on: Cinema

Cinema
MIF23: Jenn Nkiru

Visionary filmmaker Jenn Nkiru turns her attention to Manchester with a brand new short film.

free entry

Culture Guides

Music

We go all in on festivals, with a round-up of everything from city-spanning giants to grassroots gems you may not know about.

Exhibitions

There's no rest for the art lover - this month brings outdoor sculpture, musings on water, political drawings and Liverpool Biennial 2023!

Classical Music

Summer's classical music calendar is filling up nicely! Read our top picks of concerts happening in Manchester and the North.

Winnie the Pooh at Manchester Opera House
Families

The sun has finally got his hat on! Enjoy our top picks of family-friendly events and activities, both indoors and outdoors.

Gerry Potter (credit Lee Baxter)
Literature

Books are big this summer, with festival readings, poetry slams, creative writing activities and famous faces all putting in an appearance.

Food and Drink

All signs point toward June being a scorcher of a month, so let’s take a look at all things summery food and drink.

Tours and Activities

From literary activities to brilliant independent shops, keep your minds and homes filled with the good stuff this month.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre

Check out our updated guide for lively theatre festivals, rip-roaring rooftop circus and dreamy outdoor shows.