Lean on Pete

"This stunning adaptation of author Willy Vlautin's novel Lean on Pete is not your average coming-of-age film."

"It's frustrating to watch, but designed in such a way that the boy's loneliness will haunt long afterward."

"There's tragedy here, but what's most winning about Lean on Pete is how Haigh never lingers on misery. He's as interested in surprising kindnesses and the goodness of most folks as he is in life's knocks."

"If this story of a lonely young life lived on the hoof leaves us craving stillness and closeness, then surely that's mission accomplished."

"Haigh's film is never less than heartfelt and affecting. It cares deeply for Charlie and hopes we do, too."

"A favourite of many who saw it at this year's New Zealand International Film Festival, Lean on Pete is well worth seeking out if you can find it on its shamefully limited general release over the next couple of weeks."

"There's a wistful quality to the storytelling which softens some of the sharper edges of tragedy and hardship in this undeniably affecting picture."

"A much deeper and far more meaningful experience, and no question one of my favourite watches of the festival schedule.​"

"Andrew Haigh's beautifully crafted film follows one boy's journey of self-discovery."

"What reads on the surface like an archetypal tale of a boy and his horse becomes an affecting snapshot of the contemporary American underclass in Andrew Haigh's lovely, slow-burning drama, Lean on Pete."