Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is a new documentary film from the critically acclaimed Ashley Avis (Disney+’s Black Beauty) and continues her exploration of the American West and the lives and experiences of horses throughout it. With gorgeous cinematography accompanied by surprisingly gripping and suspenseful investigative journalism, Wild Beauty explores the political and economic institutions with special interests that have led to the gradual decline in the population of wild horses. The synopsis reads as follows:
Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is an immersive journey into the world of wild horses, Wild Beauty Mustang Spirit of the West illuminates both the profound beauty and desperate plight currently faced by the wild horses in the Western United States. Fast disappearing and on a path toward eradication, wild horses in America are caught in a divisive battle over land and special interests. Rounded up by helicopters, losing their natural habitat, and separated from their families — wild horses are in danger of fading away into history.
You can check out an exclusive clip of the film, which will open in select theaters and be available on VOD on Friday, May 12th, below.
Wild Beauty Documents the Disappearance of Horses
The clip details the investigation into the disappearance of wild horses, as various entities (the Bureau of Land Management, cattle farmers, corporations, and the horses themselves) dovetail into a thrilling film about nature, wildlife, and justice. It’s “a David and Goliath situation,” as a man says in the trailer, indicating just what the horses and those who care about them are up against, from millions of dollars in lobbying money to public indifference.
The film is a personal and moving chronicle of this plight, written, directed, narrated, and edited by Ashley Avis, who puts her heart and soul into the film as someone who truly loves and cares about horses. The creatures are more than transportation tools for people to “break” and train, to put all their weight on and ride, to dig their spurs into and whip, to leave alone in a box all night. There is a tendency for animals to be discarded once they lose their functionality in many societies, and horses are now included in that sad state of affairs. Avis’ film hopes to shine a light on that and encourage reform, while also creating a visually spectacular chronicle of the American West.
Winterstone Pictures presents, in association with The Wild Beauty Foundation, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West, which will open in select theaters and be available on VOD on Friday, May 12th. You can check out the trailer below:
