---
title: "Horse Girl"
year: 2020
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/horse-girl"
fi1m_id: "horse-girl"
imdb_id: "tt11388406"
tmdb_id: 653601
wikidata_id: "Q83437242"
fi1m_score: 60
critics_score: 65
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-10-13T21:34:12.925872+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-13T21:34:32.566133+00:00"
region: "SG"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Horse Girl (2020)

Directed by Jeff Baena · 1h 43m · IMDA M18 · Drama

## Identity

Horse Girl

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/horse-girl
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** horse-girl
- **IMDb ID:** tt11388406
- **TMDB ID:** 653601
- **Wikidata ID:** Q83437242
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11388406/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/653601, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83437242

**Fi1m score: 60** · Critics 65 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Alison Brie goes gently to pieces in a craft shop and the film decides to explain her

> Alison Brie co-writes and carries Jeff Baena’s drama about a lonely craft-shop assistant who starts losing hours of her life. The first half is precise and frightening; the second insists on telling us what it means, and is smaller for it.

## Synopsis

Sarah (Alison Brie) works the fabric counter at a craft shop alongside Joan (Molly Shannon), shares a flat with Nikki (Debby Ryan), and spends her evenings with a supernatural crime series called *Purgatory*, which she can quote by heart. Her mother died the year before. The horse she rode as a girl, Willow, now belongs to the stables, and Joe (Toby Huss), who runs them, would rather she stopped visiting. On her birthday Nikki’s boyfriend Brian (Jake Picking) brings round his flatmate Darren (John Paul Reynolds), and for once a date goes well. Then Sarah wakes with a nosebleed, finds scratches on her bedroom wall she cannot explain, loses whole hours of the day, and begins dreaming of a bare white room she has never been in.

## Review

Jeff Baena and Alison Brie wrote *Horse Girl* together, and Brie plays the lead and produces, so it is her film in most of the ways that count. Sarah is a shop assistant at a craft store, a woman with one friend at work, a horse she no longer owns and a television programme she knows by heart. For about fifty minutes the film watches her with real care and no condescension, and we would gladly have watched her for another fifty. Then the plot arrives, Baena and Brie start to tell us what they have been showing us, and the film gets smaller as it gets louder.

Brie holds it together even when the script is pulling two ways. Sarah is bright, polite, eager to please and slightly too quick to laugh, and Brie plays her as someone who has learned to apologise before anybody has complained. She is funny without the film ever laughing at her. The date with Darren (John Paul Reynolds) is the best scene in the film, two shy people over drinks discovering they like the same bad television, and Reynolds is decent enough to make Darren a real prospect rather than a device. Molly Shannon, as the colleague Joan, gives her the fond, worried looks of a woman who has noticed more than she says.

Sean McElwee shoots the craft shop and Sarah’s bedroom in soft, even light, aisles of pastel fabric and a bed piled with horse blankets, and it looks safe the way a child’s room looks safe. Ashley Fenton and Megan Fenton fill every surface with things Sarah has made or kept, so that when the film cuts to the bare white room of her dreams the emptiness registers at once. Jeremy Zuckerman and Josiah Steinbrick’s score is a low electronic hum that starts under the first scenes and never quite leaves, and it does more than the dialogue to tell us something is wrong. Beth Morgan dresses Sarah in fleeces and florals, clothes a mother might have chosen, which is part of the point.

In the first hour the strangeness arrives quietly. Sarah wakes with a nosebleed. There are scratches on her bedroom wall. She loses a few hours and comes to standing somewhere she has no memory of walking to, and that image, Brie in her nightclothes in a place she should not be, frightened us more than most films built for the purpose, because the film had made us like her and plainly was not going to protect her. We were frightened for her, and then, for a stretch, frightened of what the film was going to do with her.

What it does is explain. The second half takes a turn we will not describe, except to say that Sarah develops a theory about what is happening to her and the film goes a long way toward agreeing with her. That is a defensible choice; a film can take a character’s reading of her own life seriously without endorsing it. But Baena shoots the theory in the same even light and the same calm as the craft shop, and Ryan Brown’s editing stops distinguishing between what Sarah sees and what we are allowed to know. By the last twenty minutes we were not uncertain, which would have been interesting; we were simply unsure what the film wanted from us. The scenes in which other people try to tell Sarah what is happening are the clearest in the film, and there are too few of them.

Baena’s earlier films, among them *The Little Hours* (2017), which Brie was also in, were loose comedies that let their actors wander. This is the first time he has tried something this grave, and the loose habits are still there: scenes run a beat long, and a Zumba class and a lost afternoon are given the same weight. *Safe* (1995) and [*Take Shelter*](https://film.one/film/take-shelter) (2011) both stay beside a person coming apart and never decide for her. *Horse Girl* wants to be a careful portrait of illness and a story in which the illness might be right, and it does not manage both.

See it for Brie, who is doing something sad and exact that the film around her does not quite earn. It runs 103 minutes and carries a 15. Watch it at home, where the last stretch is easier to forgive when you can get up and put the kettle on.

*Fi1m score 60, published 13 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean mixed rather than hostile, with most critics finding more to admire in the performance than in the film around it. Nearly every notice singles out Alison Brie, who plays Sarah with a vulnerability and earnestness the critics describe as compelling and sympathetic even when the story loses its footing. There is agreement, too, that the film’s treatment of mental illness is compassionate and non-judgemental, and that it is more serious than its oddball surface first suggests.

The reservations gather around the script, and specifically its drift into the extraterrestrial. The Guardian argues that the supernatural turn undermines the portrait of mental illness, while /Film finds the film at its best when elusive and weaker once the third act starts explaining itself. The AV Club takes the opposite line, calling the ambiguity muddled. The spread is fairly wide, from Variety’s warm festival notice, which finds the film moving and challenging, down to two stars from The Guardian.

## Straight answers

**Is Horse Girl worth watching?**

*Horse Girl* is worth watching for Alison Brie's performance as a lonely craft-shop assistant losing hours of her life, and we scored it 60. The first half is precise and quietly frightening; the second insists on explaining what it has shown us and gets smaller for it. Best seen at home, where the last stretch is easier to forgive.

**How long is Horse Girl, and what is it rated?**

*Horse Girl* runs 1h 43m and is rated M18 by the IMDA in Singapore. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Horse Girl in Singapore?**

*Horse Girl* is streaming on Netflix in Singapore. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Horse Girl, and is it suitable for children?**

*Horse Girl* carries a 15 certificate and is not suitable for children; it is a drama about a woman coming apart, not a horror film. There is little violence, but the dread is real: nosebleeds, unexplained scratches on a wall, and Sarah waking somewhere she has no memory of walking to. Teenagers and adults who find illness portrayed up close distressing should know that is the subject.

**How does Horse Girl compare to Take Shelter?**

*Horse Girl* and [*Take Shelter*](https://film.one/film/take-shelter) both stay beside a person who may be ill or may be seeing something true, but *Take Shelter* never decides for its character and *Horse Girl* does. Jeff Nichols sustains the uncertainty to the end, which makes his the stronger and more troubling film; Jeff Baena's drifts into explanation. Watch *Horse Girl* for Alison Brie, and *Take Shelter* for the better film.

**What should I watch after Horse Girl?**

After *Horse Girl*, try [*Take Shelter*](https://film.one/film/take-shelter) (2011, Fi1m 83): A man builds for a storm only he can see; the film never settles whether he is right. Then [*Repulsion*](https://film.one/film/repulsion) (1965, Fi1m 88): A flat, a woman alone, and the walls start to misbehave.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Variety**, Jessica Kiang (85/100, inferred): Kiang finds the film challenging, moving, and compassionate in its portrayal of mental illness and loneliness. She especially praises Alison Brie’s deeply inhabited performance for bringing Sarah’s confusion and terror close to the viewer. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/horse-girl-review-1203473957/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, John DeFore (70/100, inferred): DeFore finds the unusual film more serious than it first appears and an effective vehicle for Alison Brie. He praises Brie’s fine-tuned, sympathetic performance as the story moves from gentle observation toward frightening inner states. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/horse-girl-1276332/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (65/100, inferred): Walsh finds the film playful and sympathetic, though its script cannot fully sustain its extraterrestrial ambitions. She singles out Alison Brie’s earnest, affecting performance for praise. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-02-06/horse-girl-review-alison-brie)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page does not reveal the critic’s verdict or what they singled out. Its article text is inaccessible, so those details cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/movies/horse-girl-review.html)
- **The AV Club**, Roxana Hadadi (C+): Hadadi finds the film frustratingly ambiguous, arguing that its muddled approach weakens its consideration of mental illness. She praises Alison Brie’s compelling physical and emotional transformation as Sarah. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/alison-brie-commits-to-the-slyly-funny-but-frustratingl-1841473781)
- **Little White Lies**, Stefania Sarrubba (2/3/2): The critic finds the film empathetic but clumsy and uneven, ultimately failing to fulfill its ambitions. She praises Alison Brie’s compelling performance and the sensitive, nonjudgmental depiction of mental illness. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/horse-girl)
- **The Guardian**, Adrian Horton (2/5): The review finds the film initially unsettling but ultimately frustrating and underwhelming. It praises Alison Brie’s vulnerable, empathetic performance, while faulting the story’s turn toward supernaturalism for undermining its portrayal of mental illness. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/07/horse-girl-review-alison-brie-shines-in-frustrating-netflix-psychodrama)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (8 out of 10): The review finds the film works best when it stays elusive, though its third-act explanations weaken the story. It singles out Alison Brie’s performance as especially strong through the film’s tonal shifts. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/571926/horse-girl-review/)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The blocked page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no accessible detail about what the critic praised or criticized. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/alison-brie-horse-girl-sundance-review-20200128/)

## Details

- **Director:** Jeff Baena
- **Director:** Jeff Baena
- **Writer:** Jeff Baena, Alison Brie
- **Cinematography:** Sean McElwee
- **Editor:** Ryan Brown
- **Music:** Josiah Steinbrick, Jeremy Zuckerman
- **Production design:** Megan Fenton, Ashley Fenton
- **Costume design:** Beth Morgan
- **Producer:** Jeff Baena, Alison Brie, Alana Carithers
- **Cast:** Alison Brie as Sarah; Debby Ryan as Nikki; John Paul Reynolds as Darren; Molly Shannon as Joan; John Ortiz as Ron; Meredith Hagner as Heather; Jake Picking as Brian; David Paymer as Doctor
- **Runtime:** 1h 43m
- **Certificate (IMDA):** M18
- **Release (Singapore):** 7 February 2020
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieqemSsMxek

## Where to watch in Singapore

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-10-13.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Safe* (1995): Julianne Moore falls ill in a clean house and nobody, including the film, will say why
- *Take Shelter* (2011), Fi1m 83: A man builds for a storm only he can see; the film never settles whether he is right — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/take-shelter.md)
- *Repulsion* (1965), Fi1m 88: A flat, a woman alone, and the walls start to misbehave — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/repulsion.md)
- *Welcome to Me* (2014): Kristen Wiig wins the lottery and stops taking her medication; funnier, and nearly as sad
- *The Little Hours* (2017): Baena and Brie together before this, in a medieval convent, mostly swearing

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/horse-girl