A lost tries to hold on to Glory in Jockey
by Murtada Elfadl
About halfway through Jockey two old friends lay down their cards and confront the truth unvarnished. Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) is a jockey who has spent many years on the riding circuits and has the broken bones to tell the story. Ruth (Molly Parker) is an overseer on the same racetrack and a recent proud horse owner. She wants Jackson to ride her horse as she knows he’s the best. Yet she also knows that he has not been looking his best recently. Jackson knows this is one person he can’t hide the truth about his ailing body from. Ruth knows this is the one jockey who can take her horse into the championships. I was stunned by the honesty, the lived in camaraderie, and shared experience these actors were able to convey in just a few minutes of screen time.
Director Clint Bentley - as told in the video intro to his Sundance premiere - based the story on his own recollections of his father’s work as a jockey. There’s authenticity to the people and places that Jackson spends most of his time at. The racetracks. The stables. The relationships with the other jockeys. And as mentioned previously with his friend and boss Ruth. Collins conveys that authenticity in the tired way he carries himself and the quiet way he reacts and speaks. You sense this a man most comfortable doing his work. The rest of it does not interest him.
Adding complication to Jackson’s life is the appearance of a young jockey, Gabriel (Moisés Arias) who claims to be his son. This results in another scene to take in and revel in the performances. The nonchalant way Arias drops the news and the quiet yet utterly desperate way Collins reacts, gives us more context to the characters than there is in the script. This narrative seems familiar, one that we have seen many times. A man well into his years trying to atone for the follies of his youth by mentoring a younger man with whom he has a complex relationship. Yet the actors elevate the familiar beats.
More successful is the portrayal of the body as a work vessel. Bentley and his co-writer Greg Kwedar chart this in a group therapy scene in which the jockeys gather and recount the broken bones they have accumulated. One by one they go around, yet none of them ever says they are ready to give up. They accept this as part of the job, a price they are willing to pay to continue doing it. Collins playing a man of few words doesn’t need to tell us anything, it’s all in his physical performance. The way he carries himself and moves about. The flickers of pain we see in eyes are all we need to see. It’s a dazzling performance is its simplicity and economy.
Bentley and his cinematographer Adolpho Velsoso adeptly use the racetrack setting to provide handsome tableaus, enhancing the atmospheric feel of the story. Using reflection and magic hour orange light, Jockey has some gorgeous shots. What’s glaringly missing is a connection to the horses. There’s nary a scene of Jackson and/or Gabriel working with them. There aren’t even that many racing moments in the film. As a character study of a man trying to find dignity and purpose in late middle age, Jockey is compelling. But as a study of this particular line of work, I found it lacking. Perhaps I was spoiled by the tactile and intimate relationship between man and animal that Chloe Zhao brought to The Rider (2017).
Movies don’t need to telly wholly original stories every time. Jockey certainly doesn’t, however it presents two wonderful actors - Collins and Parker - with a showcase for their talent. And for that it’s worth watching.
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Author Bio: Murtada Elfadl is a culture writer, critic, and podcaster. Originally from Khartoum, Sudan he decided to move to New York City when he got a New Yorker subscription at the age of 15. Many years later, the city remains his favorite place; he just wishes more movies in Arabic played here. Last year he was a member of the selection committee for NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival. His writing has been published at The Film Experience, The Film Stage and Mediaversity Reviews. He hosts the Sundays With Cate podcast.