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The Horse Boy (Unrated)
Family's farflung quest for autistic son.
Rowan Isaacson, who frequently had tantrums, gets along with horses.
Editor rating:
2/4/2010
In terms of technique, The Horse Boy isn't much. But the story it tells is little short of incredible.
Two years after the birth of their son Rowan, Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff were told their child was autistic. As he grew, Rowan would not speak, interact with other children or become toilet trained.
He threw raging temper tantrums for hours for no apparent reason .
One day Rowan ran onto land near their Austin, Texas, home and was confronted by a horse named Betsy. To the amazement of his parents, he calmed down. Betsy (and other animals, it turned out) seemed to be on the boy's wavelength.
Rupert, who had volunteered with South African bushmen, convinced his wife that the family should travel to Mongolia, a horse-centric tribal culture that also emphasizes shamanism (it is, in fact, the state religion). Maybe these holy men could help Rowan. Director Michel O. Scott and a small film crew went along.
Often each step forward is followed by two back. On a hillside the Isaacsons meet with several shamans who, one after another, go into a trance. The holy men agree that Rowan is afflicted by the spirit of a dead relation who suffered mental problems (Kristin thinks she knows a woman from her family who qualifies).
Immediately after this meeting Rowan shows marked improvement. He plays with the young son of their local guide and begins talking. But now he rebels at the idea of riding a horse, something the family must do to reach the camp of Mongolia's greatest shaman high in the mountains near the Russian border.
The Horse Boy isn't a gullible slide into woo-woo. While Rupert admits to being something of a believer, Kristin takes a more questioning approach. But she goes along with her husband's plan because she's at wit's end.
Even without its supernatural elements The Horse Boy is a heart- rending study of the mental and physical toll on two loving parents who are losing hope that their child can avoid life in an institution.
Director: Michel O. Scott.
With: Rupert Isaacson, Kristin Neff, Rowan Isaacson.
Producers: Rupert Isaacson.
Running time: 93 minutes. Some mild language. In Miami-Dade only: Cosford.
