NR | 1h 30m | Drama, Family, Romance | 2024
Horses are everywhere in Westerns, though the movies don’t always pause long enough to treat them as anything beyond a rider’s means of travel.
The 1979 version of “The Black Stallion” has stayed with me for years, and 2019’s “The Mustang” proved that a modern horse drama could still carry real force without needing gun belts or frontier myths.
“Joy of Horses” is a small film aimed at viewers who respond to family drama, personal loss, faith, and the healing power of animals. Ava Justin stars in the film and co-wrote it at a remarkably young age. She built her story around grief, horses, and the hope of starting over; It has a sincerity that gives the film a fitting place to begin.
Grandfather’s Ranch
After losing her mother, Joy (Ava Justin) is taken by her father, Mark (Toussaint Morrison), to stay with her grandfather, Tom (Max Eric Lemberger), on a horse ranch far from the routines she knows.
Tom’s cure for sorrow is direct: Get up, help out, respect the animals, and learn the land beneath your boots. Joy doesn’t take to it right away, though the ranch has a way of making avoidance difficult.
Her first meeting with Tom’s young helper, Blake (Luke LeBrun), goes badly when she thinks he’s stealing a lawnmower, only to discover he’s someone from her childhood.
That misunderstanding opens into a growing bond, helped along by shared memories and long stretches of being together at the ranch and in town. Joy also forms an attachment to Ruby, a horse who becomes her listener when people ask of her too much too soon. A church grief group offers potential help, but Joy finds that wanting help and being ready for it are separate things.
The story adds another wrinkle when Ruby gets sick, and Joy meets Aidan (Yoshua Smith), the veterinarian’s son. He’s smooth, attentive, and quick with the kind of talk that can make a grieving young woman feel seen.
With Blake nearby and Aidan making his interest known, Joy’s stay at the ranch turns into a season of recovery complicated by romance, family expectations, and choices she can’t dodge forever.
Sincere Filmmaking
The filmmaking is also solid for an indie family drama. These productions can sometimes look flat or feel uneven in the basics, from sound to lighting to camera work, but this one has a clean, pleasant presentation.
The ranch setting helps a great deal, especially in the outdoor scenes, where the sunlight, horses, and open country give the story a natural warmth.
The grief material works because it’s familiar to many without being pushy. Viewers understand what Joy has lost, and the film lets her process it through imperfect steps. She tries the church group then pulls back. She talks to Ruby before she can comfortably talk to people. She bickers with Grandpa Tom before she starts absorbing some of what he’s trying to teach her.
The film also has some genuinely funny bits. One is when Joy badgers her grandfather into letting her drink coffee then turns into a one-woman ranch machine, mowing lawns, tending animals, and tearing through chores at a ridiculous pace.
Another amusing moment comes when Joy uses a whiteboard to break down Blake’s and Aidan’s respective positive traits with Ruby. That humor gives the final stretch a needed spark and keeps Joy from feeling defined only by loss.
“Joy of Horses” makes a strong case for Justin as a young actress, producer, and writer with plenty of opportunities ahead in filmmaking.
“Joy of Horses” is available on GanJingWorld.
‘Joy of Horses’
Director: Joel Paul Reisig
Starring: Ava Justin, Luke LeBrun, Max Eric Lemberger
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Release Date: June 23, 2024
Rated: 4 stars out of 5
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