I am fascinated by horses. To this day I don't know why. I started reading The Black Stallion to my youngest son, Jason. I think my fascination started there; I read every one of those books when I was younger. There is just something about the relationship humans have with horses that is different, more special than any other animal. I've never experienced that relationship, but I've read about it and watched it on TV and in movies. That is why when the chance came to get The Horse Whisperer in Blu-Ray I was all over it. Before I begin I have to say seeing this movie is amazing in Blu-ray format! Ever clod of dirt, every fiber of hair can be seen in the horse scenes. A lot of the people scenes have that hazy filter to them so the HD isn't as effective, but it sure feels like you are in Montana for most of the movie!

I started the movie Saturday night at around 8:30 p.m.with my wife and oldest son, Josh. Now that is Josh's bedtime so I'm not sure why we let Josh watch it with us, but I think it has to do with the fact that he shares my fascination with horses. The first ten minutes or so are disturbing, but Josh gutted it out and ended up loving the movie as a whole. He made a great observation about halfway through the movie, "Tom Booker is like Jesus, but for horses." Wow, out of the mouths of babes indeed! Obviously any attempt at saying Jesus is like so and so is going to break down somewhere and Tom Booker is no exception. But Josh was on to something.

See the film adaptation ofThe Horse Whispereris all about a family, the MacLeans, and their horse Pilgrim. The MacLeans' daughter, Grace, is a trick rider and her horse is Pilgrim. She and her best friend go out on a snow ride and end up in a horrific accident with a logging truck. Grace's best friend and her horse are killed, while Grace and Pilgrim survive, but are marred physically and emotionally from the trauma. Pilgrim is not the same. He ends up being very wild and unmanageable even with Grace. Grace loses most of her leg and cannot get over the trauma of losing her best friend and her horse's trust.

Her mother recruits the aid of Tom Booker, aka The Horse Whisperer. He famously tells her that he doesn't "help people with horse problems, he helps horses with people problems." Throughout the movie as Tom is rehabilitating Pilgrim, those watching realize the rehabilitation that needs to go on within their own hearts. Grace's father, Robert, has a great line that goes something like, "As I watched Tom working on Pilgrim, I realized I'm just like that horse." Robert was referring to his own brokenness and how he had a chance to be rehabilitated as well.

He didn't want to be in a bad marriage with his wife, Annie, anymore and he said it out loud. Annie didn't want to be as driven as she was and she said it out loud. Grace didn't want to feel like the accident was all her fault and she was no use to anyone anymore. She also said all these things out loud. At one point in the movie Tom says, "Knowing is the easy part, saying it out loud is the hard part." The ordeal changed this family. It made them confront all that they knew was wrong within themselves and say it out loud. Only then could they start making it right.

Continue: 1 2