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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Horse Boy, The

EMAILPRINTZeitgeist Films

Horse Boy, The reviews
64
10.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 1 votes
Read user comments
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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)

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...

83

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Turns into a lyrical and stirring meditation on the mystery of autism.

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80

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

A lovely, amazing, wonderfully provocative film.

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78

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

A staggering document of the lengths parents will go to for the sake of their child.

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75

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.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Lana Berkowitz

Provides a powerful look at the complex condition of autism and family dedication.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

It's a film that will both captivate and divide audiences.

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75

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.

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70

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.

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70

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.

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70

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.

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63

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.

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63

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.

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60

Time Out New York Keith Uhlich

The Horse Boy comes off as both an edifying work of advocacy and an invasive home movie.

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50

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Well-meaning but trying documentary.

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40

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.

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30

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.

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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.

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