Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gorgeous but disturbing docu reveals violence to wild horses
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The documentary WILD BEAUTY: MUSTANG SPIRIT OF THE WEST asks why wild horses are disappearing, and finds a conspiracy. The film details how the Bureau of Land Management is reducing mustang populations through violent roundups, which often result in the death of horses. To prove this, the filmmakers go undercover, stake out roundups, push for access to holding pens, and travel across 13 states. They also capture footage of the wild horses in their natural habitats across the West and Northwest.
Is It Any Good?
With poetic voiceover narration, gorgeous nature scenery, investigative reporting, and depressing findings, this documentary hits its mark. Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West is an activist and journalistic endeavor that might not interest all audiences but makes a compelling argument and could prove a useful educational tool. To give a sense of the urgency, a Robert Redford-produced documentary tackled the same topic in 2021 -- Mustangs: America's Wild Horses. It's hard to take issue with the goals or the final product here. The beauty of the natural vistas across the Western and Northwestern states and the documented injustices in the treatment of wild animals makes for persuasive documentary material.
The editing keeps the story moving between stunning footage of the horses running free and disturbing video of them being rounded up. In between, we meet the film crew -- including lead Avis and several of her family members -- and follow them as they interview scientists, historians, conservationists, and others about the horses, and come up against defensive officials during roundups and auctions. Their dogged attempts to gain access provide a lesson in the work and rights of journalists. The team follows the money to figure out who's behind the taxpayer-funded roundups, explanations and connections that can get a little confusing at times. The director's narration also unnecessarily tries to humanize the horses by assigning them names and human emotions. They don't need them -- their story is tragic on its own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they can do to get involved to save the wild horses seen in Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West.
What methods did the filmmakers use to capture footage when they came up against people or situations limiting their access? Why were they so intent on seeing, for example, inside the auctions or the trap sites of roundups?
How do you think the filmmakers show compassion through their work making this movie? What's the connection between compassion and activism, in your opinion?
What do you think of the BLM's activities described in this film? Is the film balanced in its attempts to give the BLM's side of the story or perspective? Is that important?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 12, 2023
- Director : Ashley Avis
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Winterstone Pictures
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism , History , Animals
- Character Strengths : Compassion
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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