Who says I ’ m a nice girl ?
On the coasts , it ’ s reception has been divided but those it spoke to have gone back to see it in theaters as many as four times . It ’ s honest , raw and sometimes brutal on the emotions as reality always is , but it ’ s unblinkingly authentic and found strong voices in unpredictable places . The voice of the Badlands is strong . The horses play themselves as heartbreakers and healers , always quietly teaching . The unwritten , unspoken ethics of the Cowboy Code is woven into the fabric of the men and women as their stories unfold , but it ’ s likely the voice of a young , Lakota cowboy , no longer able to speak or escape his wheelchair since a car accident that is loudest and binds audiences to Brady ’ s struggle in choosing to continue to ride horses that buck or be bound strictly by his doctor ’ s orders to leave that life behind .
“ I ’ d never met Lane Scott , I only knew him through what Brady and Cat Clifford had told me , but I felt strongly he had a part to play in The Rider ,” Zhao said . “ We were shooting in western South Dakota , Lane ’ s rehab facility is in Omaha , Nebraska . We loaded up and went there , trusting a big part of our small budget to what we all believed we ’ d find .”
“ We shot everything we needed in four hours – that ’ s an intense day . I met Lane with the intention that I wasn ’ t going to treat him any differently than his friends . He was amazing . He improvised and ad-libbed through hand signing the alphabet . I didn ’ t write ‘ rub some dirt on it ’, Lane ’ s response when Brady told him about cracking his skull and having the steel plate surgically installed ,” said Zhao . “ They wanted to work , to tell this story . Some scenes took several takes just in moving the camera angle . I don ’ t think Brady had seen him much , if at all , since either of their accidents . It was truthful and emotionally stunning .” The biggest critics were bound to be cowboys and ranchers , who ’ s authenticity is innate and judgement is always the harshest . They ’ re saying The Rider left them speechless . They ’ re also saying it ’ s on the same rare plane as Lonesome Dove .
The question then becomes ‘ how did a nice , urban girl from Beijing find her way to Pine Ridge to tell a story so real it ’ s touched souls globally ?’
In answer , Zhao ’ s voice lowered a notch and picked up a velvety growl worthy of one at home in the Badlands .
“ Who says I ’ m a nice girl ?” – Chloe Zhao
The Rider was recently released on DVD .
Photos by Jon Pearson Photo / Courtesy of QLI
Chloe Zhao helps steady the camera during the filming of one of The Rider ’ s most powerful scenes with Lane Scott and Brady Jandreau . www . rodeofame . com 27