The Turin Horse

Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr delivered his last film with this bleak study of human existence. Inspired by a true incident involving the nervous breakdown of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who threw himself on an abused horse in Turin. The film follows the horse and its owners who are not far from animals themselves as they struggle in their daily existence in an unforgiving land and time. Tarr philosophical approach shows humanity on the edge of poverty can bring out the worst, specially in places of extreme poverty. While the film is hard to watch, it stays true to its artistic merit and refuses to tone it down. In this case film is art and not entertainment but a medium to explore a serious subject. The stark black and white cinematography by Fred Kelemen is haunting and breathtaking. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.