By Whitney Hilkin

Based on an actual prison rehabilitation program in Carson City, Nevada, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s The Mustang (2019) is an intense, heartfelt film full of surprises. Following the story of Roman Coleman, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, audiences are given a glimpse into the life of a convict. After transferring to a new prison in Nevada, Roman demands to be placed in solitary confinement, suggesting he is “not good with people”, but is instead assigned to an outdoor maintenance program to help him prepare for adjusting to society once his sentence is up. Roman begins this journey only to find an unlikely partner who teaches him the most important skill he lacks: patience.

Only a few days into the program, Roman is dumping his wheelbarrow when he notices an isolated shelter where a steady BOOM, BOOM, BOOM echoes across the yard, catching his attention. Curious, Roman walks the dry and dusty distance between himself and the structure. He approaches the shelter and looks in, only to be greeted by a captured wild mustang. Although Marquis, as Roman later names him, used to freely roam the grassy plains, side by side with the other mustangs, he is now locked up alone, away from the others. Roman is intrigued by the aggressive beast and opens the door to get a closer look at him, not realizing that this is the moment that will change everything for him. Seeing that Roman is so interested in the mustang, while other men in the program have labeled it “crazy”, the program’s director Myles (Bruce Dern) recruits Roman to train this mustang single-handedly. Maybe Myles saw a striking similarity between the convict and the wild animal. The story continues to follow Roman and Marquis as they build a bond of trust and understanding while preparing for an animal auction. They will sells their animals to various buyers at the auction, which funds the rehabilitation program.

What struck me most about this film was its ability to dawn me in through sound alone and I am able to thank Céline Bernard, Arne De Beleyr and Zsolt Magyar, who worked on the sound production for this film. There were times when my senses were so overwhelmed that I physically prayed for the scene to be over. In a way, this was an incredible feat by the sound design team, as well as de Clermont -Tonnerre, as they were able to precisely convey the discomfort that the characters were feeling in those key moments.

For example, the opening scene introduces the wild mustangs that roam the vast and colorless, empty plains of Nevada. As they graze, you can hear the crunch of the field grass between their teeth and the force behind each breath they take, exhaling through their noses. It sounds as though these massive beasts are mere inches from your face, so close you almost feel as though the heat from their breath gently grazing the side of your face. Upon hearing the crisp sounds of these glorious animals, I was immediately taken back to when I was much younger meeting a horse for the very first time. Remembering how amazed I was at the soft touch of their noses to my skin, I immediately wanted to reach out through the screen and touch these wild animals. Amidst my daydream, I was brought back to reality by the metallic sound of blades chopping the air that could only belong to a helicopter. The helicopter sounds as unnatural as the sitting mustangs would hear it. They jolt up from their naps, shocked by the approaching noise. Cutting from a ground level perspective to one from the helicopter, the film anxiously asks what the destiny of these animals will be as they run in fear, chased by the flying machine.

Another scene that highlights the film’s achievements in sound revolves around a massive storm that passes over the correctional center. The inmates within the wild horse rehabilitation program are ordered out of their beds in the middle of the night to corral the mustangs inside. As Roman tries to make his way to Marquis’ pen, dodging other men and mustangs, the wind whips around him, kicking up dirt in all directions. Then we see him leading Marquis as they approach the center’s doors, but the chaos doesn't end yet. Once inside what appears to be the prison shower room, the horses become even more distraught as lightning flashes through the windows creating a strobe effect and the continuous clapping thunder makes the ground shake. The lights are drained of their glow as the power struggles to stay on, ultimately blacking out for a moment. The blackout triggers immense fear in the mustangs, disorienting them. A symphony of chaos erupts as the horses and men are left blinded in the pitch-black darkness with the storm continues pounding down upon the correctional facility. The sounds of the petrified horses and their trainers trying to get them under control echoes through the halls. The scene cuts from black to that same space, but the following morning after everyone has cleared out. It is silent as the camera scans the room, showing the blood and thrown about furniture from the madness of the night before.

I was engaged for all 96 minutes of The Mustang and highly recommend it to audiences 17+ as this film is rated R, who would enjoy a serious film with an underlying heartfelt message. Though it does drag for the first several minutes as the storyline is set up, the end result is satisfying and well worth it. After viewing this film, I am personally excited to see what Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre comes out with next.