The Mustang is a beautiful and emotional movie not only about the idea of redemption but the idea that people aren't as shallow as one action they commit. This movie has a purpose, it has something it wants to say and everything in this film is nearly pulled off flawlessly. You could feel the passion in every scene from the filmmakers, the cast and just everything from the moment the film began, making it very easy for me to get emotionally invested in whatever was happening on screen. The opening scene is flawless, establishing a necessary emotional connection between the audience and the Mustangs which is very important. For this movie to really work you need to feel invested in the animal and sympathize with them just as much as you need to connect with the prisoner and the film pulls this off perfectly. Matthias Schoenaerts Performance as Roman Coleman is phenomenal! Matthias really pulls off the introverted like character perfectly so you can really feel the disconnect not only between Roman and society but between Roman and everyone he comes into contact with. You can genuinely feel the isolation through the character and it really puts you into the movie. You can really feel the pain and regret Roman feels about the decisions he has made and because of that you really connect with him and start separating the prisoner from the crime. This all ties in with the overall theme of one action not defining a person and it works flawlessly. Thought Mathias delivers a masterful performance, he isn't the only one to carry this movie acting-wise. Actually, I would say the entire cast was phenomenal and the chemistry between them was fantastic and nothing less than impressive. This movie is also incredibly shot, every scene in this movie is mysteriously sickening yet beautiful and the atmosphere this takes place in is perfect for the story and character. I also love a lot of the other messages and ideas the film plays with like how a prisoner is so consumed by the world they just left that they refuse to let go of the past, this is shown win Roman refuses to sign the paper allowing his daughter to sell his mothers house. The house ties him to a time in his life that still feels recent to him and he doesn't want to let that go. It also plays with the idea of how even though an inmate is trapped in one moment of their life, people they care about are all growing and moving on. You can really see how those two ideas add to Romans' character. This movie not only focuses on the physical trauma an inmate can indoor on a daily basis but the guaranteed beat down a prisoner goes through psychologically. Especially with Roman who had to endure a ton of time in solitary confinement which adds even more trauma to the character. I think what I love about this movie is how deep it really goes, this movie introduces a lot of different and important ideas in a pretty short about of time but at the end, you feel completely satisfied with everything that happened. It doesn't feel like you didn't get enough answers or that the movie was rushed, the movie is paced perfectly and it creates a perfectly satisfying film. This movie also does an incredible job of showing the obvious trauma marquis the mustang went through, this is important because it is the basis of the connection between Marquis and Roman. They are both hurting on the inside and can't vocalize their feeling so when they look into each other's eyes for the first time they bond immediately because they truly understand each other frustration. The Mustang is emotional, beautiful, powerful and a true masterpiece of cinema. The writing is phenomenal and you'll find yourself deeply invested in the story and characters in this movie. The camera work is phenomenal, as well as the production design and cinematography was. At the end of the day, the Mustang is a nearly flawless movie that I'd recommend everyone to watch asap.
Rating 9.5/10
Rating 9.5/10