Loved Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete?
Discover why Lean on Pete is one of the most spell-binding and gut-wrenching films of 2018 and how it was made, as told by the creative team.
About the book
If, like us, you walked out of Leave No Trace wanting to know how it came into being; how it fits into Haigh’s larger oeuvre; and how it engages the tropes of western films, this compilation is for you.
Interviews with Haigh, himself, as well as the film’s editor, cinematographer, and production designer reveal how they worked creatively as a team. Clear-minded, insightful essays illuminate Lean on Pete‘s relationship to Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy and the role the film plays in extending Haigh’s longterm fascination with homecoming.
These are articles you will return to again and again, as both an essential complement to the film and a way of naming its cultural contribution.
Listen to the podcast
Preview the book with our podcast on Lean on Pete where we discuss the insights gleaned from writing and researching the book.
Inside Lean on Pete: A Special Issue
Chapter 1: Looking for home in the films of Andrew Haigh
An essay by Alex Heeney on how, in Lean on Pete, Charley’s search for home moves the plot, but the emotional journey to find home is at the heart of all of Haigh’s work.
Chapter 2: An interview with writer-director Andrew Haigh
Andrew Haigh discusses his meticulous blocking and how he used it to express the journey of a boy searching for home in Lean on Pete.
Chapter 3: An interview with editor Jonathan Alberts
Jonathan Alberts discusses the long, painstaking editing process on Lean on Pete, from screening dailies on location, to creating a sound temp track, finding the best takes, choosing minimal cuts, and finding the right rhythm.
Chapter 4: An interview with cinematographer Magnus Jønck
Cinematographer Magnus Jønck approached Lean on Pete as a modern western, keeping the focus solely on character and de-romanticising the landscape.
Chapter 5: An interview with production designer Ryan Warren Smith
Production designer Ryan Warren Smith discusses how he created rich, detailed environments that subtly reveal character.
Chapter 6: Haigh and Reichardt are modernizing the western
An essay by Orla Smith on how Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete shares DNA with the films of Kelly Reichardt — both filmmakers de-romanticize tired western tropes.
About the authors
Alex Heeney
Seventh Row‘s Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney started Seventh Row to provide a platform for thoughtful, long-form film and theatre criticism. Years later, the site is still going strong. Alex has covered Andrew Haigh’s work in the past, reviewing 45 Years and interviewing Haigh for the film.
Orla Smith
Seventh Row’s Executive Editor Orla Smith is a filmmaker and film critic, with a wealth of experience interviewing multiple department heads for films (e.g. You Were Never Really Here and On Chesil Beach) to piece together how these collaborations work and how the pieces all fit together. Orla has written several pieces about how films subvert their genres.
Purchase your copy of Lean on Pete: A Special Issue
The ebook is available as an ePub and PDF, which are readable on all tablets, smart phones, and eReaders.