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Review

With the gorgeous mountains and fields of Montana as picturesque backdrop, Redford's marvelously acted, emotionally satisfying and beautifully shot The Horse Whisperer is a stirring story of one young girl's coming of age and one woman's rediscovery of her heart. Based on the novel by Nicholas Evans, the film begins with a staggering horseback-riding accident. Thirteen-year-old Grace (Johannson) is injured in the fall, resulting in the amputation of her leg (and succumbing to its inevitable psychological trauma) and her horse Pilgrim about to be put to sleep. Grace's emotionally reserved mother Annie (Scott Thomas), a high-powered New York magazine editor, decides to try to save the animal. She treks with Grace and Pilgrim to Montana where "horse whisperer" Tom Rooker (Redford) resides, hoping to mend both daughter and horse. It is Annie, however, who heals the most when she falls in love with Tom and regains the ability to love. The leisurely paced film is spectacularly photographed, from the breathtaking scenery to the wondrous shots of the horses in flight. Scott Thomas is extraordinary as Annie, a woman with a hard-edged exterior but whose interior is fragile. Young Johannson is also first-rate, shading Grace with vulnerability and verve -- her "who will love me" scene is heartbreaking.