In the wake of the coronavirus encouraging people to avoid going out as much as possible, many may not be as keen to visit the cinemas as in week’s past. However, those staying home, whether from school or work, may be left wondering what else to watch. That’s where Netflix’s “Horse Girl” comes in. Widely promoted across the platform, the psychological drama seems intriguing, intense and just a little silly. While it certainly is all of the above, the movie suffers from a lack of narrative direction, aimlessly traipsing through a number of plotlines that never seem to be resolved.

Sweet but lonely, Sarah (Alison Brie) enjoys a quiet life, spending her days working at a craft store and her evenings watching her favorite supernatural crime series. With few friends and family to speak of, her closest friend is her childhood horse, Willow, currently boarded at a stable after a tragic accident. Encouraged by her roommate, Nikki (Debby Ryan of Disney Channel stardom), and her boyfriend to do something special for her birthday, Sarah’s attempts to be more social seem promising. Shortly after the party, she becomes plagued by a series of strange, lucid dreams. As her dreams and favorite television show begin to seep their way into her reality, Sarah begins to question the world around her. With a strong family history of mental illness, those around Sarah begin to worry as she appears to unravel.

With an honestly intriguing premise and its constant banner promotion across Netflix, it is hard to ignore “Horse Girl.” Well produced and cast with its fair share of recognizable character actors, the movie starts out incredibly strong, building Sarah as a likable introvert with a tragic past. It’s only around the 45-minute mark the film starts to erode as it introduces a wide variety of different storylines it never fully resolves, making it a movie that wants to be many things, but is never quite any of them. As a result, much of the conclusion becomes disappointingly confusing and nonsensical, ruining the fantastic premise and tension build-up that existed for the first half of the movie.

Though lacking in structure and sense, the psychological aspects of “Horse Girl” are effective and unnerving. Showing her grip on sanity slowly beginning to loosen, the film’s choice to show only what Sarah knows allows the audience to sympathize with her as a reluctant protagonist — a clever choice that serves the movie well. Though it is highly flawed, “Horse Girl” is filled with “could haves.” It could have been better or worse. It could have been a very good psychological thriller or perhaps sci-fi. It could have been a uniquely memorable dark comedy. It ends up being none of the above, instead becoming only a pretty OK drama with elements of other genres peppered in.

Grade: С

Rose Dunton, originally of Nampa, has been living in Pocatello for the past five years. Proficient in Japanese, she is an avid film buff.