The Turin Horse

Play trailer

The Turin Horse

2012

2h 26m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.

Critics Consensus

Uncompromisingly bold and hauntingly beautiful, Bela Tarr's bleak parable tells a simple story with weighty conviction.

Read Critics Reviews

J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

09/18/2014

This great poem on the end of the world is truly a film for the ages. It can't really be described, but only lived.

Go to Full Review

Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

06/28/2012

3.5/4

"The Turin Horse" is a parable, which means it's both very simple and very weighty. It's not about event and emotion, but duration and endurance.

Go to Full Review

Kieron Corless

Sight & Sound

06/18/2012

[Tarr's] most direct and overtly compassionate film.

Go to Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

01/14/2025

6/10

A Tarr film that, with a dense aesthetic, has a certain beauty in its desolate atmospheres, but lacks an emotional well and, often, the characters only function as automatons to establish a philosophical dialogue about suffering. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

11/19/2020

Béla Tarr's supposed career finale is a supreme metaphysical meditation on death and human cruelty that lulls us into a state of despondent surrender with simplistic repetition and a truly vexing soundtrack.

Go to Full Review

Vladan Petkovic

Cineuropa

08/11/2020

Perfect framing.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Chris D

@RT00936645 02/04/2025

Probably one of the most incredible films ever made.

See more

Mavi T

@RT72191799 01/05/2025

Béla Tarr cleverly EXPLOITS the authorial aura of FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE to create a halo effect, nudging the audience into perceiving nonexistent existential meanings in the 2 HOUR movie, By invoking Nietzsche's name and philosophical ideas at the film's onset, Tarr masterfully MANIPULATES VIEWER expectations, hinting at a profound exploration of human existence. However, beneath its austere, visually striking surface, the movie's narrative is surprisingly straightforward and DEVOID of profound symbolism. Tarr's strategic use of Nietzsche's authorial aura generates a halo effect of intellectual depth, enticing viewers to overanalyze and attribute meaning to the film's repetitive, mundane, and quite bizarre sequences. This clever tactic transforms an otherwise simplistic story into a perceived cinematic masterpiece, replete with complex themes and symbolism.

See more

Dario D

@RT25789484 07/12/2024

A hodgepodge mess of a movie, a boring, slow, mess that shoves down your throat scene after scene of a horse, a lady and some potatoes.

See more

J. D

@RT66567133 08/07/2021

Grimly beautiful poetry.

See more

raphael g

@raphagimenes 03/02/2021

The cinematography is astounding. The textures are great. The patience, the storm. It's like we are living there with them, trying to weather the tempest. What a pessimistic ending though.

See more

02/22/2021

If you have any existential depression, then watch and wait for dying.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Béla Tarr

Director

Ágnes Hranitzky

Director

János Derzsi

Ohlsdorfer

Erika Bok

Ohlsdorfer's Daughter

Mihály Kormos

Bernhard

Fred Kelemen

Cinematographer

Best Movies Off the Radar 2012

Critics Consensus: Journey 2 Isn’t Quite Worth the Trip

View more photos

Synopsis

A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.

Director: Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky
Distributor: Cinema Guild
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Hungarian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 2h 26m

Most Popular at Home Now