The Turin Horse 2012

The film commences with a possibly fictional account of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s mental collapse on January 3, 1889, while staying at number six, Via Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy. During this period, a coach driver wrestles with a particularly obstinate horse that refuses to budge. Frustrated, the driver loses his temper and strikes the animal with his whip. Witnessing this, Nietzsche is profoundly affected and embraces the horse, weeping uncontrollably. A concerned neighbor takes him home, where he remains silent and motionless on a divan for two days, before whispering, > “Mutter, ich bin dumm” (Mother, I am stupid). For the subsequent decade, he leads a fragile life, cared for by his mother and sisters.

The narrative then shifts to a rural setting, likely representing the 19th-century Great Hungarian Plain, where the same coach driver coexists with his daughter and their horse. Over the course of six days, their challenging and monotonous lives unfold amid relentless windstorms outside their humble abode. They often find themselves taking turns sitting alone by the window, grappling with their isolated existence. As the second day arrives, the horse becomes increasingly reluctant, refusing to leave the property and even turning down food and water.

That evening, a neighbor named Bernhard stops by for brandy, sharing grim news about a nearby town’s total destruction, attributing the disaster to both divine and human failings. On the third day, a group of “gypsies” (Romani) arrives in a horse-drawn vehicle and drinks from the family’s well without permission. The father and then the daughter confront them, insisting they leave. Before they vanish, some young men from the group threaten to return for the well, while an elderly man gifts the daughter a book, which she reads later that night. By morning on the fourth day, they discover the well has run completely dry. Faced with this crisis, the father resolves they must abandon their farm, and they begin to pack their belongings onto a pushcart. Remarkably, the horse behaves well, though it stubbornly refuses to pull the cart. At a certain point during their journey, they inexplicably decide to turn back and unload their things.

On the fifth day, the horse appears ill, possibly nearing death, and is unfit for work. The father reluctantly removes its reins, allowing it to rest in the barn. The father and daughter retreat indoors, seeking solace from the relentless winds howling outside. As night falls, the house is suddenly plunged into darkness as the light goes out. When the sixth day arrives, the winds have ceased, but there’s no sign of sunlight either. With only raw potatoes to sustain them, the daughter grows uncommunicative and refuses to eat, surrendering to despair. Her father seems to follow her lead, leaving his potato uneaten and sharing the silence with his daughter, as they confront a somber fate together.