Must-See Movie Review: “Horsegirls” Heartfelt Positive Story Of Learning Responsibility, Independence While Dealing With Grief, Impending Loss

Must-See Movie Horsegirls Explores Neuro Divergence While Growing Into Independence, Dealing With Grief

“Horsegirls” tells the story of a girl with autism who takes responsibility for her own life and choices as she comes to grips with the idea and reality of losing her mom. Her mother has cared for her alone since her father’s death years before, and has done her best to help her to learn to live on her own in the world after she is gone.

Played by an actress with autism, Margarita, the protagonist of the story, is convincingly portrayed. She has a social awkwardness that would be expected. Margarita decides where she wants to get a job, and then by chance she sees a group of girls dancing in leotards with hobby horses. The horse heads with sticks that she’s been allowed to play with since she was young in lieu of riding the real horse her family has in the stable by their house. The girls are practicing a sequence and she comes in. And it just so happens that they need one more girl in order to compete. And the coach invites her to join them.

So she practices every day with the team as well as at home. She has issues with coordination, and jumping over a little block that’s about five inches tall, she trips. Again and again she trips over it, until finally she is able to gracefully jump over it. From interactions with her mom we learn that she can’t use a microwave because she can’t remember the pattern – on, time, start. She mixes them up, and her mom lacks the patience it would apparently take for her to grasp this concept.

In this area, her autism appears to be mixed with another neurodivergent condition that would fit in with her repeated assertion that she was conceived during a drunken bout with Margaritas – Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The coordination and pattern issues would fit with that diagnosis.

The job she got was at a Halloween store in town, where she asks the owner for a job, but then demonstrates her clear enthusiasm for his products and sells a customer a costume on the spot. He likes her and hires her right there. Now she has a way to pay for the hobby horse practices.

The problem is, though, that she decides to go to these practices without her mother’s knowledge or approval. She leaves work early to go to the practice, and lies to her boss in addition to her mom. And one day her mom finds out, and she’s livid. She storms into the practice and tells the coach that her daughter can’t come to the practice and that he is scamming her because the competition and practice cost money. This was an attempt at independence. Oddly, though, her mom doesn’t relent. And Margarita doesn’t practice much before the competition.

So she loses that coordination that she had. Finally her mom agrees to let her go. She’s able to show the world that she can be independent, but her mom’s cancer never left. Her problem with her daughter’s dishonesty may have been at the core her own guilt that she was being dishonest. She told her daughter that the doctors said the cancer was finished. But she meant the treatment was finished, because cancer treatment is rarely effective for long. Usually the cancer returns and the patient dies. It’s why people fear it so much. It’s a disease that almost always results in a slow and painful death at the hands of medicine when that route is taken.

But in the end, Margarita knows she’ll be OK. Her mom, despite her flaws, did a great job being a mom and preparing her for life’s ups and downs, so when she does leave this world, she is OK. She still competes, and she does the best she is capable of. She proves to herself and to the world that she could do it. She can take care of herself and be a positive force in the lives of others as well.

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I would give this movie five stars and it is highly recommended as a must-see movie.

HORSEGIRLS

Heartfelt Debut from Writer and Director Lauren Meyering

Starring Lillian Carrier & Gretchen Mol

In Theaters July 17th

See the trailer here.

After her mother’s illness returns, 22-year-old Margarita, a young woman with autism, discovers the world of hobbyhorsing and sets out to prove her independence to her mother—stick horse and all.

The film stars breakout newcomer Lillian Carrier (“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”) and Gretchen Mol (Millers In Marriage, American Gigolo), who is featured in Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount+ drama series “Tulsa King.” The cast also includes Jerod Haynes (Native Son) and Tony Hale (Love Simon, Toy Story 4).

Written and directed by Lauren Meyering, the film is produced by Alix Madigan (Winter’s Bone, Hold Your Breath), Michael Sherman (The Truffle Hunters, Her Smell) and Mackenzie Breeden (Dad’s Dead Damnit, Praying Mantis).

Horsegirls premiered in competition at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and recently led the winners at the Seattle Film Festival, taking home the Grand Jury Best Feature Film award, with Gretchen Mol awarded Best Actress and Lillian Carrier winning Outstanding Performance. Horsegirls also won the Cordillera International Film Festival Best Feature Film Audience Choice award.

First time feature writer & director Lauren Meyering based her 2020 Black List script on her close friend and producer on the film Mackenzie Breeden’s personal life and family. The film is dedicated to Mackenzie’s mother Sandra Breeden.

Sumerian Pictures will release the film in theaters on July 17th.

Sumerian Pictures Acquires Acclaimed Crowd-Pleaser

Horsegirls

For Theatrical Release In 2026

Starring Lillian Carrier, Gretchen Mol, Jerrod Haynes

Produced by: Alix Madigan, Michael Sherman, Mackenzie Breeden

Lauren Meyering’s Directorial Debut

Los Angeles, CA (January 15, 2026) – Sumerian Pictures has acquired North American rights to award-winning dramedy Horsegirls, setting plans for a nationwide theatrical release in 2026. Written and directed by Lauren Meyering, the film is produced by Alix Madigan (Winter’s Bone, Hold Your Breath), Michael Sherman (The Truffle Hunters, Her Smell) and Mackenzie Breeden (Dad’s Dead Damnit, Praying Mantis).

The film stars breakout newcomer Lillian Carrier (Freeform TV’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” Amazon’s “As We See It”) and Gretchen Mol (Millers In Marriage, American Gigolo), who will next appear in Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount+ drama series “Tulsa King.” The cast also includes Jerod Haynes (Native Son, Southside with You, TV’s “61st Street”) and Tony Hale (Love Simon, Toy Story 4).

Horsegirls is the story of 22-year-old Margarita, a young woman with autism, who discovers the world of hobbyhorsing and sets out to prove her independence to her mother—stick horse and all. Encouraged by a supportive coach, her mom and her community, Margarita gains confidence to forge her own path.

First time feature writer / director Lauren Meyering based her 2020 Black List script on her close friend and producer on the film Mackenzie Breeden’s personal life and family. The film is dedicated to Mackenzie’s mother Sandra Breeden.

Horsegirls premiered in competition at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and recently led the winners at the Seattle Film Festival,taking home the Grand Jury Best Feature Film award, with Gretchen Mol awarded Best Actress and Lillian Carrier winning Outstanding Performance. Horsegirlsalso won the Cordillera International Film Festival Best Feature Film Audience Choice award.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Sumerian for the release of Horsegirls,” said Writer & Director Lauren Meyering said in a statement. “Their commitment to inclusivity and support of the film’s message make them the ideal company to bring this story to theaters.”

Rob Williams, President, Content Strategy for Sumerian Pictures said “Horsegirls is a charming, emotional powerhouse with strong performances all around. We are thrilled to be bringing this story to audiences.”

Williams negotiated the acquisition on behalf of Sumerian Pictures with the UTA Independent Film Group.

ABOUT SUMERIAN PICTURES

Sumerian Pictures will theatrically release the upcoming romantic comedy, MILE END KICKS, directed by Chandler Levack and starring Barbie Ferreira and THE WOLF, THE FOX AND THE LEOPARD directed by David Verbeek. Sumerian Pictures recent theatrical releases include QUEEN OF THE RING, starring Emily Bett Rickards, Josh Lucas, and Walton Goggins; DIVINITY, which premiered at Sundance and was executive produced by Steven Soderbergh; and TURNSTILE: NEVER ENOUGH, which premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. Founded by Ash Avildsen, Sumerian is an artists-led independent creative studio celebrating 19 years of making music as Sumerian Records, more recently expanding into film, published media, and graphic novels under the banner of Sumerian Comics. In addition to founding Sumerian, Ash Avildsen is a filmmaker, most recently writing, directing, and producing QUEEN OF THE RING, as well as the upcoming comedy, MY NEW FRIEND JIM, starring Rob Lowe and Keith David.

Banner Image: Movie poster. Image Credit – Sumerian Films