Every year, my most anticipated film of the Tribeca Film Festival tends to be one from their midnight line-up, but this year, I deviate from that tradition. While known for a diverse and interesting selection of documentaries, this year’s selection had one that was screaming my name, its title: A Faster Horse.
From director David Gelb, the director of the mouth watering doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi, comes a film about an American automotive icon, the Mustang. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of this legendary car and, with it, a documentary about the birth of the vehicle and its fifth ever redesign (1964 wasn’t a full production year even though that’s why it officially debuted). A Faster Horse chronicles the process of designing, engineering, and bringing to market the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang as well as the history of the Ford Motor Company and what brought about the introduction of the original 1964 Mustang and insane success that followed.
Some of you might be wondering why a car documentary was my most anticipated over some of the other high profile docs at the fest. In the spirit of full disclosure, I own a white 2006 V6 Mustang with the Pony package. It was my first car and a car that I still own and love. The inside of that car is my happy place and so when I saw that this film would be screening at the festival I knew I would have to drop everything to see it.
A Faster Horse is a film that takes a very secretive process and gives us a peek behind the curtain. The film doesn’t get too technical, so if you’re looking for deep inside information about the design and engineering process, you won’t find it here. What Gelb’s documentary does is it takes a subject and broadly touches on the main problems, challenges and occasional successes of building a car from scratch. It’s a doc that is clearly intended to be easily digestible for the masses, yet interesting enough for people with a more comprehensive understanding of cars to enjoy. From a business perspective, it really gives you a cool idea as to how complex the supply chain is and how crucial that aspect is to an automotive manufacturing plant, especially one based in America. There is one scene in particular where our main subject, Chief Program Engineer Dave Pericak, sinks his head into his hands when there’s a major issue with the car a week before it is set for review and hopefully approval. We don’t get all the details but the film does such a good job explaining how detailed and complicated the car manufacturing business is that we’re able to understand the implications of what that reaction means or how a few cents extra for a part can translate into a million dollars worth of losses.
While the Mustang itself is the star of the show, Dave Pericak and the other interviewees do a great job of explaining what it’s like to work on a Mustang project, especially one where it’s being completely redesigned. Everyone said “don’t screw this up,” a sentiment that’s been echoed from when Henry Ford II was on the board and Lee Iacocca was running the company in the 60s. They each talk about the crazy pressures of the build, dealing with secrecy, hearing from their vocal customers, leading hundreds of people they don’t know and also controlling their livelihoods. There’s some really fascinating commentary and one that both businessmen/women and non-business folk alike should really listen to, it gives a good perspective on what it’s like having a big and incredibly important job at a US based company.
There are a few moments in the film that really hone in on what it’s like to own a Mustang and why people buy them, but there is one scene in particular where I thought the interviewee summarized it perfectly. The guy basically stated that you don’t buy a Mustang for practicality, buying a Mustang isn’t a logical choice, it’s a completely emotional one. Everybody has a Mustang story and there tends to always be an emotional connection to that story. There’s something about this car that makes you feel, that draws you to it, and it couldn’t be truer. I know this because while I really wanted a vehicle that was fuel efficient, I realized I would be much happier driving a fastback coupe that I could customize and, at the time, I chose happiness over my carbon footprint. I’d love to upgrade my vehicle to be more eco-friendly and I know I will, but letting this vehicle go for me will probably be the emotional equivalent of having my first child move out of the house.
Clearly my passion for this vehicle is driving my review of this film, but if you ask me, A Faster Horse isn’t just for Mustang lovers, it’s for anyone that’s ever appreciated American muscle or, even more simply, people that love cars. It’s not the most technical doc about cars but it is one about a vehicle that people all around the world know and love. It’s become an icon of America, a symbol for freedom, and a piece of finely tuned art that’s both stylish and affordable. Mr. Gelb has done an excellent job reminding me why I love my car and there’s no doubt he’ll do the same for those that have an appreciation for one of the most recognizable cars ever, the Mustang.
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