Film Forum

12:40   2:40   6:50

WINNER – Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature: JOCKEY
2021 AFI Fest

WINNER – U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award, Best Actor: Clifton Collins Jr.
2021 Sundance Film Festival

A charismatic, legendary jockey coping with years of injuries and disappointment, faces two challenges: an exceptional steed whom he may or may not be up to riding, and the attentions of a doe-eyed young jockey who claims to be his son. Clifton Collins Jr.'s (CAPOTE, STAR TREK, Westworld) lead performance is "a role to match his aptitude for existential contemplation… career-redefining (with) a talent for profundity previously untapped” (Carlos Aguilar, The Wrap). Molly Parker (House of Cards, Deadwood) as a horse trainer and his longtime friend is both tough-as-nails and gently radiant. Casting actual jockeys in supporting roles and filming at the Turf Paradise racetrack in Arizona, debut director Bentley achieves a delicate balance between authenticity and poetic realism.

2021    94 MINS    USA    SONY PICTURES CLASSICS    RATED R

Reviews

“THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR. An exceptional drama. Gives Clifton Collins Jr. the role of his career, and he leans into it with all he’s got, delivering the performance of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.”
– Peter Debruge, Variety

“The world captured by cinematographer Adolpho Veloso seem[s] to exist entirely in that magic hour that casts ghostly rays of sunlight across the desert plain.”
– Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire

“Honoring the majestic tradition of horse movies with sweeping widescreen vistas and lyrical shots of crimson dusks, Clint Bentley’s poetic character study of an ailing jockey at the rear end of his career recalls THE WRESTLER through an enduring story of parental affection and spiritual healing. Clifton Collins Jr. delivers a haunting, profoundly poignant performance as a sportsman at a high-stakes personal and professional crossroads. Bentley’s disciplined feature debut as a writer-director is bound to join the contemporary ranks of THE RIDER, THE MUSTANG, and LEAN ON PETE as an evocative study of American life on the fringes that unfolds alongside the grand mysticism of stallions.”
– Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar

“Powerful. A resplendent and touching character piece.”
– Carlos Aguilar, The Wrap

“A sparely written and beautifully performed piece…this gorgeously shot indie features a title turn by Clifton Collins Jr. that is simply superb. Jockey is a modest, intimate film, to be sure, but an impressively assured one. It finds a lovely, low-key groove early on and maintains it, and draws performances from its key players that are terrific and true.”
– Todd McCarthy, Deadline