Boxoffice - March 219

ut there are also programs like this one that help these men get a different
connection. I would say that 85 percent of the script is based on real stories.
One of the things that stand out in The Mustang is the diverse casting
in the film. You didn’t populate your prison scenes with models and
professional actors. >> There are a lot of former inmates in the film. The
character of Tom in the film is played by a Native American actor who
spent 15 years in prison in Nevada. I met him just as he had left prison
and was working as a horse trainer. He was so charismatic and had such an
interesting story, I really wanted to include him in the film. At first he was
hesitant but eventually came on board once he felt he was ready to tell that
story. He was also a wrangler on the set, so he had two tasks: acting and
helping us with the horses. There are two other inmates from this program
in Nevada that are in the film. I wanted to have as many interesting faces, a
diverse group of men for the movie. And that didn’t only mean inmates, I
heard about this group, the Compton Cowboys, young men who grew up
in Compton and attended this program that introduced them to horses. It’s
a program for kids and they ride so well that we invited them to join us in
the film—you can see them in some of the bigger scenes. We ended up with
a very interesting group of men; some as wranglers, some as cowboys—some
actors, some who weren’t. It was important for me to have a group of people
who were connected to the story in order to give the film an organic and
visceral dimension to it.
We’re going through a curious period in independent cinema, where
just because you get acquired at a major festival doesn’t mean
you’re going to get a good theatrical release. There are companies
with big budgets out there that don’t attach much importance to it.
Why was it important for you to have The Mustang, your feature film
debut, play in cinemas? >> I’m a huge cinephile; I love the experience
of seeing a movie on a big screen with strangers. I grew up in a cinephile
family, watching films in theaters, sharing emotions in an auditorium.
Even though now we have some platforms that don’t allow a big theatrical
release, which I think is really sad, we can still insist on having our movies
play at a theater. A film like Roma is something I refuse to see on a laptop.
I would have been really sad if I hadn’t had a theatrical release. I really
believe in the cinema and I want to protect it. Watching something on a
laptop kills 50 percent of my desire. We are in a world where we cannot
focus anymore; we are completely overwhelmed with so much information
all the time. So when you’re watching something at home, and your phone
is ringing, it becomes too distracting. I like going to the cinema because
it is an appointment. I go there and that’s what I’m doing for the night.
That’s what I love about the experience that is different than watching TV
in my living room.
What do you hope audiences can take away from your film? >> As a
filmmaker, I’ve never been very interested in making something so commercial
with buildings and stuff blowing up. I feel this is a private and intimate
movie, but one with a very positive message about healing that I hope is accessible
for a lot of audiences. I hope it’s a film that helps people talk about
the criminal justice system.
WILD HORSES
Matthias Schoenaerts
stars as Roman Coleman,
a violent felon, who enters
a rehabilitation program
involving the training of
mustangs.
50 MARCH 2019