Watching Painted Horses was just what I needed the other night. A sweet, soothing movie to end the tough day.
Ms. Hoog is a high school teacher in transition. She has left her home and her job to live with her Aunt in a very small town. She is a young, suddenly single mother who is focused on securing insurance and income so that her young son can have the surgery he needs. Ms. Hoog is a young teacher who is nearly driven to quit on her first day. Despite warnings during her interview for the position, she accepts the job.
"These particular kids have a knack for chewing teachers up and spitting them out."
Her classroom is a small group of mis-matched high school kids who do not work well together. Sorry, that was a gross understatement. They fight each other and demean each other. When they do join forces it is to join against the new teacher. The group of students includes the usual subsets of groups: the goody-two-shoes, the angry guy with the knife, the boy scout, the nerds, the rich girl, and the creepy silent kid. Immediately, some of the kids plan to have Ms. Hoog fired.
The thing is... Ms Hoog LOVES history and she has been hired to teach it. And she will do nearly anything so she can schedule her son's surgery. The question is whether or not she's be able to spark the students' imaginations and become their teacher rather than their target. Perhaps her stories of Tennessee's buried and lost treasures can engage these students.
In addition to the students giving the new teacher a hard time, some of the town leaders are suspicious of the new resident.
This movie is without nudity, profanity, blood and gore. A knife is brandished on a couple of occasions but there is no graphic fight scene. The theme is about teaching, learning, and being in control of the trajectory of your life. I chose the movie because I thought it was focused on horses however horses only made a brief appearance. But I'm still glad I chose to watch. A few negative reviews of the movie cite poor acting and small errors. I agree that this is clearly not a movie with a huge budget or the top handful of celebrities. Honestly, I found it refreshing to watch new (new-to-me) faces.
I have to mention that Aunt Nora was played by Deana Carter. At times, I laughed out loud. Aunt Nora is a perfect example of a bossy, nosy, and supportive aunt.
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