There hasn’t been a movie about kids and a horse since teenage Elizabeth Taylor rode her steed to victory in the National Velvet The film proves to be as effective as Christian Duguay’s French drama tearjerker, a young girl who doesn’t let a horrific accident stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming a jockey. The film’s plot intrigue can feel predictable at times, but nonetheless it packs a strong emotional pull and should be a hit when it opens in its home country next month. Ride Above recently had its US premiere as the centerpiece of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
The story begins at , Zoe is born in a racehorse stable she owns to her parents at the same time Naming a horse is beautiful intrigue. Zoe grew up with Beautiful Intrigue, a teenage girl (Carmen Kassovitz, daughter of French actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz) with an innate love of horses encouraged by her supportive parents (Mélanie Laurent, Pio Marmai) . When Beautiful Intrigue later had a foal, Zoe named him Tempete and began developing his racing abilities, convinced he was a future champion.
ride on top
bottom line Cross the finish line victorious.
Place: Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Cast : Mei Lanny Laurent , Pio Marmai, Carmen Kassovitz, Kacey Mottet-Klein, Carole Bouquet, 2001Danny Houston
Director: Christian Duguayscreenwriter: Christian Duguay, Christophe Donner, Lilou Fogli 1 hour 58 minutes
Tragedy strikes when Zoe is accidentally run over by the Beautiful Intrigue while the horse is frightened by a storm up. Confined to a wheelchair as a result, Zoe became so depressed that she moved into a shed specially designed to compensate for her disability. Autistic stable employee Seb (Kathy Motette Kline, admirably subtle) has a special opinion about horses and tries to pull her out of her shell, her parents’ newly hired physical therapist. The teacher (Hugo Becker) also works with her. But Zoe mostly resists their entreaties until she discovers that she can build muscle by swimming, which encourages her to try and get back in the saddle again.
Under Seb’s tutelage, Zoe practiced riding Tempet late at night, initially without her parents’ knowledge. They eventually wise up, and despite serious misgivings, agree to have her covertly replace a wealthy couple (Danny Huston, who speaks French impressively in a beautifully bilingual performance, and French screen veteran Carol Bouillon). Kay) is the scheduled jockey for the upcoming high stakes race on a horse owned by Kay. Set during a blinding snowstorm, the climactic sequence delivers the necessary suspense and emotion at a high dose.
directed by Duguay ( The Art of War, Mission), based on his script written with Lilou Foglie Co-written with Christophe Donner (the author of the novel on which the film is based), it manages to pull at heartstrings expertly without falling into overly sentimental sentimentality. The equestrian scenes are beautifully choreographed and edited, and while the movie thankfully avoids anthropomorphism in its depiction of the relationship between Zoe and her horse, it’s not surprising when their kids want their own pony after watching the movie , parents should be advised to have answers ready.
Ride Above With its intricate characterization, intricate dialogue and virtuoso performances from its ensemble, it never feels overly manipulative or Pretentious. Cassavetes pulls off a heartbreaking turn in a central character without resorting to sentimental attempts to win our sympathy, while Laurent vividly portrays the ferocity of a mother who refuses to let her daughter quit . Marmai is excellent as the loving father, and Mottet-Klein and Becker are impressive in their supporting roles.
Full credits
Venue: Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Production companies: Nolita Cinema, Pathe, TF1 Studio, France 2 Cinema, Pictanovo Distributor: Pathe Actor: Mei Lan Ni Laurent, Pio Malmai, Carmen Cassavetes, Casey Motette-Klein, Carole Buquette, Danny Huston Director: Christian Duguay Writer: Christian Duguay, Christophe Donner, Lilou Fogli Producer : Maxime Delauney, Romain Rousseau Director of Photography: Christophe Graillot Production Designer: Frederique Doublet, Frederi GrandclereEditors: Maxime Lahaie, Sylvain Lebel Costume Design: Alice Cambernac 1 hour minutes
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Tragedy strikes when Zoe is accidentally run over by the Beautiful Intrigue while the horse is frightened by a storm up. Confined to a wheelchair as a result, Zoe became so depressed that she moved into a shed specially designed to compensate for her disability. Autistic stable employee Seb (Kathy Motette Kline, admirably subtle) has a special opinion about horses and tries to pull her out of her shell, her parents’ newly hired physical therapist. The teacher (Hugo Becker) also works with her. But Zoe mostly resists their entreaties until she discovers that she can build muscle by swimming, which encourages her to try and get back in the saddle again.
Under Seb’s tutelage, Zoe practiced riding Tempet late at night, initially without her parents’ knowledge. They eventually wise up, and despite serious misgivings, agree to have her covertly replace a wealthy couple (Danny Huston, who speaks French impressively in a beautifully bilingual performance, and French screen veteran Carol Bouillon). Kay) is the scheduled jockey for the upcoming high stakes race on a horse owned by Kay. Set during a blinding snowstorm, the climactic sequence delivers the necessary suspense and emotion at a high dose.
directed by Duguay ( The Art of War, Mission), based on his script written with Lilou Foglie Co-written with Christophe Donner (the author of the novel on which the film is based), it manages to pull at heartstrings expertly without falling into overly sentimental sentimentality. The equestrian scenes are beautifully choreographed and edited, and while the movie thankfully avoids anthropomorphism in its depiction of the relationship between Zoe and her horse, it’s not surprising when their kids want their own pony after watching the movie , parents should be advised to have answers ready.
Ride Above With its intricate characterization, intricate dialogue and virtuoso performances from its ensemble, it never feels overly manipulative or Pretentious. Cassavetes pulls off a heartbreaking turn in a central character without resorting to sentimental attempts to win our sympathy, while Laurent vividly portrays the ferocity of a mother who refuses to let her daughter quit . Marmai is excellent as the loving father, and Mottet-Klein and Becker are impressive in their supporting roles.
Full credits
Venue: Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Production companies: Nolita Cinema, Pathe, TF1 Studio, France 2 Cinema, Pictanovo Distributor: Pathe Actor: Mei Lan Ni Laurent, Pio Malmai, Carmen Cassavetes, Casey Motette-Klein, Carole Buquette, Danny Huston Director: Christian Duguay Writer: Christian Duguay, Christophe Donner, Lilou Fogli Producer : Maxime Delauney, Romain Rousseau Director of Photography: Christophe Graillot Production Designer: Frederique Doublet, Frederi GrandclereEditors: Maxime Lahaie, Sylvain Lebel Costume Design: Alice Cambernac 1 hour minutes
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