Dream Horse

This month of August will be an important month for many film lovers who will be able to discover two excellent feel good movies that are made with a true love for the seventh art. On the one hand, there is Free Guy (August 12) and from last Wednesday another film that deserves the same attention and to discover it for the first time in a cinema before seeing it again at home. For all those who like British social comedies and sports movies, Dream house is a real success. This film is the perfect mix of the great films that have marked our memories about underdogs who by dint of courage and a strong will win the hearts of the public but also impose themselves as true champions but also the triumph of ordinary people who have a dream that seems impossible. We can think of the cinematographic saga Rocky but also of the films Field of Dreams (1989), Full monty (1997). But unlike these films, Dream Horse is based on a true story that really deserved to be transposed to film. 

The name of the director will not speak to many yet we owe him many excellent episodes of series that have become cult like Torchwood (2009), Doctor Who, Sherlock, Black Mirror, Daredevil. Dream horse is the second feature film of Euros Lyn after Y Llyfrgell (the library suicides) (2016). The realization of the film shows a real willingness of the director not to seek the easy way at all costs but especially to remain credible and to take care of the many horse races of this film. In this sense, this film is above all a film about a certain social revenge of people living with difficulty but who continue to dream and want to give a real meaning to their lives.  

The film tells the true story of Dream Alliance, a racehorse raised by the barmaid of a small town in Wales, Jan Vokes (Toni Collette). With little money and no real experience other than reading a lot of books, Jan convinces her neighbors to help breed Dream and compete with the racing elite with their meager income. Their investment pays off as Dream rises through the ranks and even manages to recover from a difficult fall and becomes a beacon of hope in their struggling community. It is impossible not to think of the magnificent film Field of Dream (1989) in which a man believes in his dream and achieves a real miracle.

Even if the architecture of the film seems too traditional for some and thus we can easily predict the final outcome, we must recognize that Dream Horse has nothing to envy to the current Hollywood productions as this film does not try to be what it is not. Far from constantly trying to move us and to paint a grim picture of an underprivileged environment, this one appears as a real revenge on the life of those who were not lucky enough to be born rich or in wealthy families. The character Howard Davies (Damien Lewis, once again perfect) shows a real awakening of conscience by being ready to leave a job that allows him a comfortable lifestyle to really live his passion for the horse world and thus follow in his father's footsteps. In the same way, the actress Toni Colette succeeds once again in moving us by giving to her character Jan Vokes a real strength of character and a will to surpass herself and to embark with her entourage in a real human adventure.

Dream Horse is certainly one of the best films discovered this year and deserves to be discovered in theaters to share a great film and see the reactions of the public to this human and sporting adventure. Praised by the international press (88% on Rotten Tomatoes, well deserved), Dream Horse is an alternative to American blockbusters that are certainly just as successful (Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Fast and Furious 9 and soon Free Guy) but do not benefit from the same financial means and turn out to be one of the best surprises of this summer's releases in France. We can't wait to see it again on video and to get back on the horse in superb landscapes as unforgettable as this movie.

Dream Horse
Directed by Euros Lyn
Screenplay by Neil McKay
Produced by Katherine Butler, Tracy O'Riordan
Starring Toni Collette, Damian Lewis, Owen Teale, Joanna Page, Karl Johnson, Steffan Rhodri, Anthony O'Donnell, Nicholas Farrell, Siân Phillips
Cinematography : Erik Wilson
Edited by Jamie Pearson
Music by Benjamin Woodgates
Production companies : Cornerstone Films, Film4, Raw, Ingenious, Topic Studios, FFilm Cymru Wales
Distributed by Bleecker Street (United States), Warner Bros. Pictures (United Kingdom), Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (International), Eurozoom (France)
Release date :  January 24, 2020 (Sundance), May 21, 2021 (United States), June, 4 2021 (United Kingdom), August 4, 2021 (France)
Running time : 113 minutes

Seen on August 8, 2021 

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