May 11 – 17
LEAN ON PETE
@Capitol Theater
206 5th Avenue SE, downtown Olympia
From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend; 45 Years), and based on the beloved novel by Willy Vlautin, comes Lean on Pete—a deeply moving story about love, loneliness, family, and friendship, told through the unique prism of one boy’s connection to a very special racehorse. Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) arrives in Portland, Oregon with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel), both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s gruff owner Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and his seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence—until he discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare his new friend’s life. Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn’t seen in years. They experience adventure and heartbreak in equal measure, but never lose their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they pursue their dream of finding a place they can call home.
Dir: Andrew Haigh / 2018 / US / 122 min
“A very fine movie that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I saw it”
-Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“The maker of such intimate dramas as Weekend and 45 Years brings his gifts as a filmmaker with him to the great outdoors, always capturing little moments of character and emotion even in an expanse of seemingly infinite American desert.”
-Alonso Duralde, TheWrap
“Haigh continues to be a treasure worth seeking, and Lean on Pete is one more example of his innate sense of precision and humanity.” – Tomas Trussow, Film Inquiry
SCREENING: FRI 5/11 9:00PM; SAT 5/12 4:00PM & 9:00PM; SUN 5/13 5:00PM; TUE 5/15 7PM; WED 5/16 4PM; THU 5/17 7PM
Tickets available at the box office half an hour before showtime.
