Dreamer

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Dreamer's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Dreamer completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 26 March 2006.

Overall comments and recommendations

Dreamer is a gentle film inspired by a true story about the optimism and determination of a young girl, Cale Crane and ultimately the rest of her family. It is well acted by an impressive cast of actors and Dakota Fanning as Cale Crane is particularly enjoyable to watch. It is a movie that can be enjoyed by both older children (seven and over) and adults.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Dreamer contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Dreamer is a film about the Crane family who live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by racing stables. A long time ago the farm had a stable full of horses, but no longer, and now Ben Crane (Kurt Russell), a talented horseman, works for one of the rich stables in the area. Cale (Dakota Fanning), Ben's ten year old daughter is desperate to go to work with her father, and eventually goes with him to the race track, where she meets the beautiful filly, Sonyadore. Ben recommends that Sonyadore is not fit to run in a particular race, but the owner insists she run anyway and during the race, she falls and breaks her leg. Everyone wants to put her down but Ben wants to save her and is sacked as a result. He brings her home, where Ben and Cale and the other members of the family, Mum (Elizabeth Shue) and pop (Kris Kristofferson) work together with sheer determination, guts and willpower to try to get the horse well again.

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Harm to animals.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

None.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

The only scene which may upset small children is when the horse falls in the race and cannot get up again. However, very young children may not comprehend what is happening.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

The above scene may upset older children as they will be aware that the majority of people want to put the horse down. Also the jockey falls and is quite obviously badly hurt.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

There is nothing in this movie to disturb children over the age of thirteen.

Sexual references

None.

Nudity and sexual activity

None.

Use of substances

None.

Coarse language

None.

The movie's message

This movie's message is that sometimes when you have a dream you must have willpower and determination to follow it through. You also need to ‘give it a go', as even though you may not succeed, it is still important to try.

Values parents may wish to encourage include:

• optimism
• loyalty
• persistence against the odds
• listening you your own instincts
• trust in yourself and others.