Horse Girl is unfortunately marketed as a quirky, surreal romantic comedy. The elements are all there: an aloof protagonist waiting to blossom, Sarah, played by an outstanding Alison Brie; a boss/friend/maternal figure/dispenser of good advice, played by Molly Shannon; a shy, good natured love interest, played by John Reynolds; plus the pretty mean flatmate with her jock boyfriend and a few more minor characters to entertain us.
From the beginning we understand that she is peculiar, has no friends, lost her mother, and loves horses. In fact, she's obsessed with one horse in particular that she used to own but had to sell for some unexplained reason (possibly an accident?).
Sarah spends most of her time in a fantasy world, obsessively watching a Buffyesque TV show called Purgatory. At some point, she starts having strange dreams, from which she wakes up finding herself in unusual places, such as in the middle of the road wearing a nightgown. Through her flatmate's boyfriend she meets a nice guy who falls for her and asks her out, so that we, the audience, are led to believe that her lonely life may have a happy ending.
Unfortunately, that's when trouble begins.
I'm not goign to spoil the rest of the film for those who haven't watched it, but the only thing I want to say is that it was really badly marketed (by Netflix or whoever).
This film is not a comedy; it's a silent, understated tragedy; a study of slow, irreparable descent into mental illness.
Sarah is one of those unreliable narrators that are so fashionable these days, so it is hard to discern what is true from what's part of her imagination, who is real and who's not. But one thing is for sure: she is ill, she needs help, and she has no one to give it to her. After one of her episodes, she tells a doctor about her mentally ill grandma (whom she ends up believing she's a clone of) and how she was kicked out of a mental hospital due to lack of funding and ended up dying alone and homeless - something that may as well happen to Sarah.
The film subtly criticises capitalist neoliberal individualist america, but never quite makes a strong enough statement for everyone to grasp.
Overall, I liked this movie, even though I cannot say I enjoyed watching it. It surely left an impression on me and I would recommend it to people, as long as they understand what it is they are about to watch.
Review of Horse Girl
