Partly an elegy for a fading way of life, partly an examination of self-destructive tendencies in modern masculinity, and partly a deconstruction of the American frontier’s image, _The Rider_ is writer/director Chloé Zhao's second film, closely connected to her debut, _Songs My Brothers Taught Me_ (2015). Set in the same South Dakota location, featuring the same environment, and exploring similar themes, _The Rider_ also has a practical connection to _Songs_. While researching that earlier film, Zhao met rodeo rider Brady Jandreau, who taught her how to ride a horse. After promising him she would cast him in a future film, Zhao learned that Jandreau had suffered a serious head injury during a rodeo accident, and doctors warned him that another blow could be fatal. Inspired by his story, Zhao wrote _The Rider_, a loosely fictionalized account of Jandreau's experiences, casting entirely non-professional actors, including the real Jandreau, his father, sister, and several friends, all playing versions of themselves. The result is a semi-fictional docudrama, and one of the best films of the

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