The Turin Horse

The film begins with a portrayal of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's mental breakdown on January 3, 1889. While staying at a residence in Turin, Italy, he witnesses a coach driver struggling with a defiant horse, which profoundly impacts him.

As the coach driver strikes the horse out of frustration, Nietzsche is moved to tears. He embraces the animal in a moment of empathy, reflecting his own internal struggles and deep emotional turmoil.

After this emotional event, Nietzsche is taken home by a neighbor, where he falls into a silent and motionless state. He remains in this condition for two days, only whispering to his mother, 'Mutter, ich bin dumm' before his fragile life begins.

The story transitions to a rural setting, likely in the 19th-century Great Hungarian Plain. The coach driver and his daughter live amidst relentless windstorms, struggling through their isolated existence over the course of several challenging days.

By the second day, the horse becomes increasingly obstinate, refusing to leave their property and turning down food and water. This behavior symbolizes the family's mounting struggles and the strain of their relentless environment.

On the evening of the second day, a neighbor named Bernhard visits for brandy and shares grim news about the destruction of a nearby town. He attributes this calamity to both human failings and divine wrath, creating an atmosphere of dread.

On the third day, a group of Romani people arrives and drinks from the family's well without permission. The father and daughter confront the intruders, leading to a tense standoff where an elderly Romani man gifts the daughter a book.

Morning on the fourth day brings a dire discovery—the well has run completely dry. Faced with the necessity of abandoning their farm, the father resolves that they must leave, marking a significant turning point in their plight.

The family begins to pack their worldly belongings onto a pushcart. In a twist of fate, the horse, despite its stubbornness, behaves well during this difficult process, though it refuses to pull the cart when they start their journey.

Midway through their journey, the family inexplicably decides to turn back, unloading their belongings from the pushcart. This decision underscores their sense of despair and the futility of their efforts to escape their circumstances.

On the fifth day, the horse appears to be ill and unable to work. The father decides to remove its reins and let it rest in the barn, showcasing the family's compounded struggles and the weight of their responsibilities.

As night falls on the fifth day, the house becomes engulfed in darkness after the lights go out. This event symbolizes the deepening despair and isolation that the father and daughter are facing together.

The sixth day arrives with winds gone, but no sunlight graces their lives. With only raw potatoes to eat, the daughter becomes uncommunicative and despairing, while her father mirrors her silence, highlighting their shared desolation.

Both characters confront their bleak fate as they share a moment of silence together, each unwilling to eat and resigning to their fate. This moment encapsulates the emotional weight of their situation and their inability to escape it.