The story is about a Cab Driver, His Daughter, and the Horse that Friedrich Nietzsche threw his arms around begging for mercy in Turin, Italy 1889. It is known that Nietzsche succumbed to a mute madness and died in the care of his sister, but it is not known what became of the Horse. Utilizing his characteristic real time long takes, we follow what may be the final days of the small family who are surrounded by a terrible wind storm.
To explain any key scenes would merely give away the film, so at the risk of giving myself away, I'm only going to talk about the philosophical concepts of existentialism as presented. This film, is existential to the core. The family is surrounded by an impartial windstorm and drowns in their own depressed repetition. The Horse that Nietzsche "rescued" was originally being beaten by the Cab Driver because of its refusal to move and it becomes clear early on that once the horse makes it home, it does not intend to move any time soon.
Our family is poor. They live on an old farm with no real neighbors to speak of and nothing to eat but boiled potatoes. Nothing good happens, nor does anything truly evil. At the core, there is only nothing, a growing void that has always been there and threatens to swallow them whole at any moment. This is Tarr's metaphor.
His cinematography only heightens this. At the beginning the film is relatively bright, but by the end, the father and daughter are slowly consumed by an inescapable darkness. This darkness, manifested here as a physical entity, is all part of the existential underlining.
While I will admit that watching the film will be daunting to those who are easily distracted. Long takes are the ADD generations enemy, unless they're coupled by suspense and violent action. I myself found myself getting restless myself after watching the two humans eating potatoes for the third time. Ultimately though, this film is a metaphor for the larger concept that there is nothing.
When I say nothing, I mean that we are nothing in the eyes of the universe. We are an insignificant speck to the greater vast space all around us and nature does not have the human concept of empathy. When surrounded by the elements we only have ourselves.
Not for the average viewer, but it is beautifully shot. While it garnered relatively positive reviews from critics, most audiences just plain didn't get it or were bored by the, sometimes agonizingly, long takes. I can't say that I truly liked it, but I also can't say that I truly disliked. I will say this: After watching The Turin Horse I have not found a day where something from the film hasn't entered my conscious thoughts in some way shape of form. I have mentioned this film in casual conversation every day for the last three weeks and I can only assume that is because it affected me in some way. Give it a shot if you think you're up to it.
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