Runt

Australia, 2024, 91 minutes, Colour

Starring: Jat Courtney, Lily LaTorre, Matt Day, Jack Thompson, Deborah Mailman, Genevieve Lemon, Jack LaTorre, Celeste Barber, Joel Jackson, Sarah Roberts, Tom Budge

Directed by: John Sheedy

Everybody loves Runt – well, everybody except the archvillain, Fergus Fink.  Even those who might profess themselves as non-dog lovers are quickly on the side of Runt.  He is a stray, mixed breed, chased around the town by the authorities and angry shop-owners where he has nabbed some sausages.  But, he is small, non-threatening, and often, as the Americans say, he is “cute”.

We are in a West Australian town in the middle of a long, long drought, threats to the farmers, threats to the economy, and the vain and greedy landowner with the significant pun in his name, Earl Robert-Barren, Jack Thompson enjoying himself playing most arrogant!  We are in sympathy with dad, Joe Courtney, inheriting the land from his father, and grandfather, an inventor, and in sympathy with mum, Celeste Barber (very nice but a bit too often the target of complaint about the terrible pies she makes).  And a lively gran is at home, Genevieve Lemon.

But the focus is on the children, especially Annie, 10 years old, played very confidently by Lily LaTorre.  She instantly bonds with Runt and he becomes part of the family.  Also at home is her older brother, Max (played by Lily’s actual older brother Jack LaTorre) who videos all his action stunts building up an extraordinary fan following and providing some exciting moments as well as plot developments with his daring-do.

After establishing the family characters and their problems, attention turns to the local fair, especially a competition, an Agility Course Championship involving a whole range of dogs speeding through quite a complex obstacle course.  Enter the villain, Fergus Fink (veteran Matt Day as we have never seen him before), moustachioed, glittering cape, histrionic and narcissistic performance, straight out of old-time pantomimes.  Naturally, a great deal of rivalry, and a problem because Runt is unable to perform when anyone is watching.  His whole focus is on Annie so no audience to see his victory.  Of course, Runt wins, enabling Annie and Runt to go to the national championships, to the scorn of Fergus Fink and, again of course, his hostility and cheating.  But the goal is to compete in London, Annie and Runt qualifying but the town rallying together to get enough money to pay the air fares and London accommodation.

With Mat Day and Jack Thompson providing pantomime villain action, the film is also something of a fairytale – especially a fairy godmother in the form of Deborah Mailman, a past champion, stepping in, with charm, to help Annie and Runt in their training.

By this stage all of us, non-dog-lovers included, are in hope for Runt’s success and the downfall of Fergus Fink.  No spoilers here – but it does not all turn out as we might have expected.  The spoiler is, but really no spoiler at all, a very happy ending for everyone – and including rain!

An enjoyable film, from Western Australia, with characters who, in the old days, were called battlers as they tried to survive.

By Fr Peter Malone MSC

Published: 27 September 2024