Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story
Short description
Ben Crane works as a horse trainer for wealthy owners, and his young daughter Cale shares his affection for the animals. When a thoroughbred mare named Sonya breaks a leg during a race, her owner, Palmer, orders her destroyed. Ben refuses and loses his job, but takes the injured horse with him instead, an arrangement that leaves the family, already struggling, with even less. Cale is determined to nurse Sonya back to health, and her plan to return the mare to racing gradually draws father and daughter closer together. The story is presented as inspired by real events.
John Gatins wrote and directed the film, his first time in the director's chair. Kurt Russell plays Ben, Dakota Fanning plays Cale, and Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue, David Morse and Freddy Rodríguez appear in supporting roles. It was produced by Brian Robbins and Michael Tollin for release in 2005, running 106 minutes.
Audience response has been warm: on TMDB it holds 7.1/10 from 449 votes, while on IMDb it stands at 6.8/10 from around 15,000 votes. A critics' rating of 6.6/10 from 115 reviews places it in similar territory, slightly below the TMDB audience figure and close to the IMDb score, suggesting a modest, generally liked family drama rather than a divisive one.
What's left behind the scenes
- Director John Gatins was informed that he would only receive financial support for the project if he could cast Dakota Fanning, which, fortunately for him, he succeeded in doing.
- It should be noted that the original script envisioned the main child role, that of Kayle Crane, being played by a boy. The script was changed specifically to allow Ms. Fanning to participate in the film.
- Kurt Russell gifted Dakota Fanning a real stallion, which the young actress named "Goldie".
- The script was presented to the studios "Paramount Pictures" and "Warner Bros.". Both studios declined, but the film company "DreamWorks" eagerly took on the project.
- One of the preview screenings was held for musicians. After watching the film, they were asked to submit proposals regarding how, in their opinion, the main musical theme of the film should sound. Bethany Dillon's song "Dreamer" won this competition.
- While preparing to work on the script for a future film in Kentucky, the director of the upcoming project met with a veteran jockey who told him about a racehorse that miraculously recovered from a serious injury.
- A mare named "Mariah's Storm" served as the prototype for the horse featured in the film. This young horse showed great promise, but once suffered a fractured tibia, sidelining her for a long time. However, the mare managed to recover from the injury and even subsequently win several major competitions.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
