The First Trailer for A24’s Lean on Pete Is a Pastiche of Every Coming of Age Drama Ever
From English director Andrew Haigh (Looking, 45 Years) comes Lean on Pete, a coming-of-age movie about boys and horses, which released its first trailer today. The A24-distributed film immediately looks like a pastiche of familiar dramatic elements, twisted in with a bit of maudlin horse appreciation for good measure—for all of you former Lisa Frank binder-owners in the audience.
Newcomer Charlie Plummer stars as a teenager named Charley Thompson, who forges a bond with a not-particularly-fast racehorse called Lean on Pete. When Pete is due to be sold by an owner played by Steve Buscemi, Charley steals him and the two set out on some kind of cross-country “finding ourselves” journey, destination unknown. Along the way, people appear to be continually asking about Charley’s parents—FYI, Mom isn’t in the picture, and Dad seems pretty distant as well.
There are plenty of other genre staples there as well: Shots of a bare-chested teen swimming in a mudhole; unlikely friendships struck up along the way; brief moments of levity with Dad; promises that tears will be shed; the presence of Chloë Sevigny in an indie drama. It’s all there.
Lean on Pete arrives March 30, 2018 in the U.S.