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57
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43
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52
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76
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47
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51
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71
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79
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76
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80
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40
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76
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65
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32
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36
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35
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76
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54
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45
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43
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64
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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Horse Boy, The

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 1 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by: Rupert Isaacson
Directed by: Michel Orion Scott
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 30, 2009
Running Time: 93 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
How far would you travel to heal someone you love? An intensely personal yet epic spiritual journey, The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through Outer Mongolia in a desperate attempt to treat his condition with shamanic healing. (Zeitgeist Films)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Turns into a lyrical and stirring meditation on the mystery of autism.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
A staggering document of the lengths parents will go to for the sake of their child.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The whole enterprise seems to be Isaacson's project. He narrates the film. Kristin, his wife, seems fully in accord with him, and they're both courageous, but I would have liked more insights from the side of her that teaches psychology.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Lana Berkowitz
Provides a powerful look at the complex condition of autism and family dedication.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter
It's a film that will both captivate and divide audiences.
Read Full Review >New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott
It is an inspiring, well-assembled portrait of one man's love for his autistic 6-year-old son and the measures he's willing to go to help the boy -- and the family -- cope with his neurological challenges.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Gary Goldstein
Tthe film, which also contains brief interviews with several autism experts, proves an extraordinary journey of the heart and spirit, and a stirring testament to parenthood.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
The film is not a primer on this heartbreaking condition. Instead it recounts a deeply personal, highly subjective and inarguably thought-provoking story of one family’s quest for a certain kind of peace.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kevin Lally
For both the parents and the filmmakers, the journey of The Horse Boy was tough and utterly unpredictable, but their act of faith has produced a film that's surprisingly upbeat, evenhanded and imbued with wonder.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
The story is nothing if not uplifting, but it unfolds in a conventional, uninspired documentary style better suited to the small screen, where it soon will reside. Wait.
Read Full Review >St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams
Raises more questions than it can answer in its travelogue format. It's because the premise is so intriguing and the drama is so compelling that the result is so confounding.
Read Full Review >Time Out New York Keith Uhlich
The Horse Boy comes off as both an edifying work of advocacy and an invasive home movie.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Nick Pinkerton
The Horse Boy may excuse itself as a "raising awareness" tract on autism, but the exotic travelogue isn't a practicable care option for most cases, and it certainly isn't worthy cinema.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Cliff Doerksen
The film reveals its true colors at the end, with a plug for the New Age dude ranch the entrepreneurial couple has since established in Texas.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mary H. gave it a10:
This is a respectful reverent film that opens a small window to view a culture where the most powerful healing for this young boy seems to come from the people most connected to their relationship with nature. It is also a film where one family not only finds the help for their son but leaves the shamans of Mongolia with a confidence to help others who are struggling.
