4.5/5
Review by Michele E. Hawkins.
Life for Upson Downs’s community is tough. Drought is taking its toll, and the farmers are being forced to sell their land to the greedy, self-serving Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson), who has dammed the river so that no-one can get water. The Shearer family — Bryan (Jai Courtney); his wife Susie (Celeste Barber); their children, Annie (Lily LaTorre) and Max (Jack LaTorre); Grandmother Dolly (Geneviève Lemon); and Annie’s beloved dog Runt (Squid) — is amongst those barely scraping by.
When Annie discovers that big money can be made from dog-agility competitions, she hatches a plan to save the family. In fact, if her scheme works and Runt wins the Agility Course Grand Championships at the Krumpets Dog Show in London, then the family’s farm will finally be safe from Earl Robert-Barren’s clutches.
But of course getting to London isn’t going to be easy. To begin with, Runt must win a few competitions in front of large audiences to be in the running to compete in London, but he is so shy that he can’t perform if anyone other than Annie watches him. Then the downright rotten Fergus Fink (Matt Day), assisted by his long-suffering sidekick, Simpkins (Tom Budge), is determined to win every dog competition no matter what it takes; and bureaucracy is creating barriers. And as if that weren’t enough, even if Annie and Runt were to overcome all these obstacles and win a spot in the competition, there’s no money to get them to London.
On the other hand, Annie and Runt have the advantages of unstintingly supportive and positive parents who’ll do anything for them; Annie’s Grandmother Molly is championing their cause, and she takes no prisoners; inventive daredevil Max can always be relied on to create a distraction when it’s needed; and the mysterious recluse and champion dog-trainer Bernadette Box (Deborah Mailman) is on their side. Perhaps all is not lost.
It’s hard to imagine a better cast all round to bring this charming story to the screen. Whilst it is no surprise that fine performances come from Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Jack Thompson, Geneviève Lemon, Matt Day, and Tom Budge, the performance of Jack LaTorre as Max was humorously convincing; and that of Lily LaTorre as Annie, captivating and heartwarming. As for Squid as Runt: well, what an endearing canine he is; is he looking for a new home?
The film was shot in Western Australia, with the historical town of York being the location of Upson Downs. The town and its surrounds perfectly depict rural Australia and the joys and challenges that come with life in such environs.
Cinematography was unusual in parts, with the camera angled up to actors’ faces, as if the world is looked at from the point of view of someone’s shins. I found this distracting and wondered at the choice, especially as it wasn’t in order to see the world from the dog’s or Annie’s viewpoint.
All in all, Runt makes the most of what we think of as quintessentially Aussie, with an amusing nod to films such as Strictly Ballroom. There is everything to like for the whole family in this heartfelt and at times very funny film.