'Horsegirls' review: Finding your way through an unusual hobby

On paper, Lauren Meyering's debut feature, “Horsegirls,” sounds like it was made in a 2000s independent film lab: It features a quirky heroine with a unique hobby, a loved one with a devastating illness, and the formation of an unlikely community that coalesces around our protagonist and her dream. But surprise: the events of “Horsegirls” are inspired by a true story, close to Meyering, who based the film on her family friends Mackenzie and Sandra Breeden. Sometimes real life can be the truest independent film of all.

“Horsegirls” could be read on paper as too cloyingly sweet, but Meyering's careful direction and star Lillian Carrier's performance keep it from leaning too far in that direction. Carrier plays Margaret, a young woman with autism who lives with her cancer-stricken mother, Sandy (Gretchen Mol). The couple is inseparable: Margarita accompanies her mother to chemotherapy treatments and her own special celebration rituals that include karaoke and sharing mixed dishes.

Sandy desperately wants Margarita to get a job, but her first steps toward independence come when she sees an amateur horse trial and becomes obsessed with joining. If you are not familiar with horse riding, it is a sport originating in Finland that is gaining popularity. It is a choreographed routine that includes elements of gymnastics and traditional dressage performed with a “hobby horse”: a stuffed horse head attached to a stick.

For Margarita, who loves horses but is not allowed to interact with them due to her mother's fears for safety, it seems like the perfect solution, and she persists despite the bad girl behavior of some of the younger participants. The coach (Jerod Haynes) sees her determination and encourages her to participate, so she gets a job at a Halloween store to pay for it, but keeps it a secret from Sandy. It turns out that both mother and daughter keep secrets from each other.

While the plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, it is the character of Margarita who keeps us on our toes. Carrier, who also has autism, brings an inherent authenticity to the role, as well as a sense of good humor that draws people to Margaret, a character who always speaks her mind, whether it's polite or appropriate or not. But her refreshing honesty is what people respond to, and both she and Sandy know she'll need people in the not-too-distant future.

Meyering carefully weaves the themes of parental concern and young adult independence throughout her script. Anxieties are universal: any parent wants to feel confident that their child will be okay when they are gone; Any child wants to show that he is capable and free to do what he wants. Characters like Hank (Iqbal Theba), Margarita's store manager, demonstrate that strangers can “get” Margarita as she is, without her mother's interference or interpretation, even if it takes some time for Sandy to understand.

Meyering and cinematographer Natalie Kingston create a naturalistic and often dark look, though “Horsegirls” is beautifully shot. The distinctive cinematography sets it cinematically apart from other films in this genre, as does Margarita herself, who visually stands out from the other girls.

This is a simple story executed with a singular style, and while “Horsegirls” follows the expected narrative beats, it is in the moments of surprise that it works best, often thanks to Carrier and her direct lines, which help the tone stand out. The film is a reminder that conformity is never mandatory and that putting yourself out there is the only way to find out who is ready to get you.

Katie Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.