Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” which played in select theaters in April, is a film as much about holding onto life’s dreams as it is about knowing when to let them go. Set on the vast plains of South Dakota, “The Rider” tells the story of cowboy Brady Blackburn, who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury after falling off a bucking horse in a rodeo accident. Now with a metal plate in his head, Brady is warned to abandon the rodeo (the one thing that gave his life meaning) or else potentially lose his life. Though heart-wrenching (prepare yourself), “The Rider” is absolutely worth watching. Zhao masterfully captures the sweeping beauty of America’s heartland as well as its more dispiriting aspects — a glimpse, I believe, into the shattered American dream. The movie currently isn’t playing locally and will be released on Amazon Video and iTunes Aug. 7.