After a traumatic brain injury, rising young rodeo star Brady is forced to give up his passion and career, causing financial strain for his family. As he struggles to find a new purpose in life, he must redefine what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.

In a masterful blend of documentary and fiction, The Rider’s characters play themselves in an intimate retelling of their own lives. Mental health and the pressures of masculinity are gracefully explored in Chloe Zhao’s contemporary take on the western genre, set in the patriarchal world of rodeo.