Clifton Collins, Jr. delivers a career-best performance in this soulful drama [Sundance Review]

“Write what you know.” That’s what Mark Twain once said, or at least that’s popular belief. A cursory glance at this work reveals that the guy didn’t take his own advice, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t advice worth taking. Clint Bentleyworks with a long-time employee and co-author Greg Kwedar (see: 2016 “Transpecos“), Did just that with his first directing gig”jockey“A sincere tribute to the American horse racing industrial complex for men and women that is being built on; Bentley’s father was a jockey and, having grown up on the racetrack, is very familiar with the endless rigors of life. the conversation speaks, it speaks from experience and not from artistry.

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That’s lucky because Bentley’s star Clifton Collins Jr., Bupkis knows what it’s like to be a jockey. As for the acting sins, it cannot even be called pernicious, especially given Collins’ innate ability to melt into his roles and blend in with his surroundings. A typical Collins character acts as the mortar for the rest of the film, a handy reminder that there are no small parts, just small actors; whether in “Pacific Rim, “”Scott pilgrim against the world, “or”Westworld“The guy steals movies with slow-motion high fives and dynamically pronounced cussin.” If Bentley is the focus of a character study dealing with aesthetic naturalism, Bentley can immediately look under the “Profit” column: Collins doesn’t have a Bentley background, but he does does The kind of charisma believed to be “effortless” and this kind of unpretentious magnetism work wonders when combined with authentic storytelling.

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“Jockey” is nothing if Not authentic, but Bentley’s intentions are modest. This is not a peppy melodrama about a broken old rider who won one final victory under his belt before stepping into the sunset. It’s about Jackson (Collins), the is a broken, old neighbor who is fighting with his life and fighting against the expiration date of his body. It turns out that riding takes time nearly As much of the rider as the horse and racers as persistent as Jackson have done more for them than most. To hear him talk about his various injuries, it’s amazing that he can even stand on two legs. What is a broken back for an experienced racing driver who has only ever known sport? The man is determined. He wants to win no matter what his sick body or his fearful trainer Ruth (Molly Parker), Tell him.

So it’s kind of a blessing that Jackson meets Gabriel as he pushes on a ill-advised final run to championship glory (Moises arias), a newcomer to the racetrack who claims he is Jackson’s son. Jackson has no time for fatherly dizziness and mocks the idea, but Collins only plays off his rejection of the possibility as superficial: his mouth says no, but his eyes say, “Well, it wouldn’t be the weirdest. “A jockey’s life is unpredictable at best. The likelihood that one of Jackson’s many previous affairs resulted in the birth of an unknown child is higher than none. He warms up to the idea that Gabriel could be his boy and that their meeting is a fateful second chance to be the father his own father never had.

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The most obvious theatrical upsurge in “Jockey” is the lingering question of whether or not Gabriel’s paternity radar gets to the point, but frankly, that punctuation mark is secondary to the warm, melancholy atmosphere Bentley infuses into his narrative. This is a deeply sad movie, even in the happiest of times. An innocent game of “52-card pickup,” essentially Jackson’s version of Mr. Miyagi’s patented “wax on, wax off” training technique, cannot completely hide a man’s bumps or bruises, whether or not they are Horse suffered or caused by them vicissitudes of life. Imagine growing up with all your mind believing that a driver you know from newspapers and television is your actual father. Imagine expressing this belief by becoming a driver yourself. The proof of parentage is doomed. Now imagine that you are the putative parent on the other side of this belief that suddenly fell into your lap as you sit down at the crossroads of your life. There is no way to make jockey happy without making it soapy too. Instead, Bentley and Kwedar focus on making the film look real.

If we play the comparison game, imagine “jockey” as “The wrestlerBut with horses instead of spandex and a son instead of a daughter. Just as the latter cast real pro wrestlers in addition to their star in the film, the former also put Collins in a room full of real jockeys and openly talked to each other about the myriad possibilities they have crippled during their careers. Their war stories are terrible enough to make anyone question the wisdom of running for a living. But the “jockey” image of professional drive is not suicidal. Jackson’s arc does not amount to a literal dichotomy of “Ride or Die” because the moment Jackson and Gabriel meet, they are not sure what they really are want no more.

In all honesty, the things they want may not be compatible. In “Jockey” you may not be able to be a good father and a successful driver. The making of this choice weighs on Jackson, expressed by Collins through gaunt cheeks and cautious eyes; He hasn’t been to the wars yet, but he looks like he’s had his share of horror in his years on the track. Jackson’s relentless caution is a hallmark of a life lived in regret, but it is also sociable, an easy-going presence no matter how much its increasing pressures weigh on him. Bentley is the authority on racing, but Collins’ area of ​​expertise seems to be fatherhood in the absence and together they make “Jockey” their moment to shine. The lived craftsmanship of the film creates structure in an unstable world. Collins’ excellence gives him soul. [B+]

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