Horse Girl
An isolated craft-store employee spirals through surreal dreams and possible conspiracies while trying to determine whether her visions reveal a hidden truth or a fractured mind.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- awkward
- darkly humorous
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film unusual and emotionally sincere, with Alison Brie's committed performance helping its challenging psychological storytelling despite concerns that its deeper themes and ending remain underexplored.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sarah struggles to distinguish surreal dreams, visions, and waking events as her perceptions become increasingly uncertain.
Sarah’s social isolation, paranoia, sleepwalking, and identity crisis shape both the emotional conflict and the film’s uncertain form.
Sarah’s workplace, home, dating life, and relationships acquire surreal menace as dreams and conspiracy ideas intrude on daily routines.
The surreal dreams and apparent conspiracy are presented without a definitive explanation, culminating in an open-to-interpretation resolution.
Films like Horse Girl, and why
The One I Love
surreal psychological uncertainty, destabilized identity, and an emotionally committed central performance
The Invitation
ambiguous reality, paranoia, and darkly comic relationship-centered psychological tension
Saint Maud
eccentric character study, unsettling surrealism, and a protagonist struggling to trust perception
Swallow
offbeat humor, mental disintegration, and an intimate drama that gradually becomes psychologically disturbing
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeff Baena
- Release Date
- 2020-01-27
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (618)
Cast
- Alison Brie
- Debby Ryan
- John Reynolds
- Molly Shannon
- John Ortiz
- Meredith Hagner
- Jake Picking
- David Paymer
- Jay Duplass
- Toby Huss
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Horse Girl about?
- An isolated craft-store employee spirals through surreal dreams and possible conspiracies while trying to determine whether her visions reveal a hidden truth or a fractured mind.
- What is Horse Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Horse Girl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Horse Girl violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Horse Girl as mild.
- What did critics think of Horse Girl?
- Critics generally found the film unusual and emotionally sincere, with Alison Brie's committed performance helping its challenging psychological storytelling despite concerns that its deeper themes and ending remain underexplored.
- Which films are like Horse Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include The One I Love, The Invitation, Saint Maud, and Swallow.
- How long is Horse Girl?
- Horse Girl runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Horse Girl?
- In United States, Horse Girl streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
