The subject of today’s video essay is ‘Lean on Pete‘, the 2017, A24, Andrew Haigh film about a 15-year-old boy who steals/rescues a failed racehorse and sets off on a long-distance journey alone. There will be spoilers that follow, this is your warning.

For all intents and purposes Lean on Pete is a coming-of-age film, but it disregards all the sub-genres stylings and thematic staples.

Coming-of-age films most commonly fall into the comedy-drama realm, sometimes mixing in music or other elements.

There’s little to no comedy to be found in Lean on Pete, and it is in fact possibly the bleakest coming-of-age film I’ve ever seen… which leads me to believe that’s not actually what this is…

There is a degree of mastery at play in terms of the setup of audience expectations. This setup provides additional heft to the narrative twists that prove far darker than one would have expected from the framing of the film.

Spoiler Alert

You read this description, see this poster, watch this trailer… and you know exactly what you’re in for, a heartwarming story of boy and animal, a trying but ultimately uplifting story of struggle, perseverance, and maturation… but then this happens (Pete hit by truck) shattering any expectations you still had for the remainder of the film.

This scene happens an hour and a half into this two-hour film. ‘Lean on Pete’ has made it clear that it’s a good film by this point, impressing with a somber tone, heavy realism, and excellent performances from all involved, Steve Buscemi standing out in his supporting role and Charlie Plummer again proving himself one of the industry’s best up-and-coming young actors… but it’s this scene (Pete’s death) and the remaining 30 minutes that raise Lean on Pete to greatness.

It goes beyond being unexpected, it upsets the entire narrative in motion and changes the stakes, momentum, goals, and framing. It’s a revelatory moment that sends the film into an oppressively bleak third act from the already dour first and second acts.

It’s the turn in this moment and the ensuing third act that makes me think ‘Lean on Pete‘ isn’t truly a coming-of-age film, but actually an inversion of the subgenre.

Charley is left homeless, hungry, scared, in danger… the one source of kindness he happens across turns out to perhaps be the biggest threat to him in the form of a career-best Steve Zahn turning in a frighteningly-real portrayal of aggression and mental illness.

As an audience, we’re left hoping that this isn’t Charley’s coming of age. He is suffering through so much hardship, such dire circumstances all before he’s even old enough to drive. As a viewer, you hope that he can retain his youthful innocence, and have his real coming of age at a later date in better circumstances.

It’s easy to empathize with and understand Charley’s point of view. His slide into anger and violence is so believable and gets us saying “No, Charley. Stay good. Stay innocent. Don’t let these hardships define your life before it’s even begun”… but it would be all-too understandable if these events DID define his life.