Film No. 93 (2015) Dark Horse December 28th.

Film No. 93 (2015) December 28th.  8.00 PM SOMERVILLE U.W.A. Nedlands.

 

"A decade ago, in a small village, they shared a dream. A dream so wild it couldn't be stopped. A dream that became a legend". (The opening voice-over to the British released trailer).

This wonderfully told tale about a bunch of charismatic townsfolk from a small Welsh village who bred a horse which went on to have success beyond their wildest dreams, may very well be the dark horse for this year's people's choice award at The Perth Film Festival. Australians' love an underdog story and Dark Horse wins in this category by 10 lengths.

Winner of the Audience award at Sundance this year, Dark Horse tells a story so wild that if it was devised as a piece of fiction, it could well be a straight to DVD production. The tale is so tall that someone telling it to you in a Welsh pub could well be banished to "liars corner". But every word and image revealed in Dark Horse is true. 

 

"When I look back now, I don't know how I did it" exclaims Janet, the instigator of the Dream Alliance syndicate. Janet, a cleaner in this small Welsh township also tended  bar at the local pub. One night she overhears a conversation about racehorse ownership (and how lucrative it isn't) and she decides, with no experience, she'll have a go at breeding a race horse, hoping to produce a horse her whole, reccession stuck, coal mining village can be proud of.

 

Film maker Louise Osmond has created a real crowd pleaser in Dark Horse. She has done nothing new but she has made great choices in how best to tell this story. While Dream Alliance is the star of the film, the colourful characters of the syndicate are the real headline acts. Osmond chooses to interview just a few. This has great impact as we grow to know them, cheer with them and share their jubilation. It's a film which unfolds like an Ascot Gold Cup Hurdle race. It's tense and there can only be one winner! I'm predicting another audience award, this time here in Perth Western Australia.  10GUMS.