Runt - Film Review

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Craig Silvey's beloved best-selling novel leaps onto the big screen just in time for the school holidays, in a charming new Australian family movie. Runt is the heartfelt and hilarious tale of eleven year old Annie Shearer (Lily LaTorre), and her best friend Runt, a stray dog with the remarkable ability to run away speedily from shopkeepers he steals from. He finds Annie who gives him a place to call home. A home she shares with her parents (Jai Courtney as Bryan and Celeste Barber as Susie), an older brother (Jack LaTorre as Max) and her nan Dolly (Genevieve Lemon). However, things are dire at home in the country town of Upson Downs, and in a bid to save their family farm, Annie and Runt aspire to complete in the Agility Course Championships at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London, amidst overcoming crippling consequences and nefarious villains. There's Fergus Fink (Matt Day), an unscrupulous dog handler, and Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson), a greedy landowner intent on acquiring the Shearer property.


Directed by John Sheedy, find Runt in cinemas right now (19 Sep); starring Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Matt Day, Jack Thompson, Genevieve Lemon, Jack LaTorre, and introducing Lily LaTorre as Annie, and Squid as Runt. The film is centered around the Shearer family who are going to lose the family farm due to drought. The drought-stricken region of Upson Downs is further threatened by the greedy Earl Robert-Barren who has dammed up the town's water so he can ultimately buy out all of the local farms. The Shearer family represent the true Aussie spirit of working hard and overcoming adversity with a true blue she'll be right mate attitude, complete with all the quirks and Australianisms. If you're a dog lover, you're going to love Runt the film, as there are many gorgeous and talented dogs performing in the competitions. Squid as Runt is a dog of indeterminable breed, well trained in that he refuses to budge unless the command comes from no one else but Annie, with the added difficulty of not performing if anyone is watching. It may surprise you that Squid, like Runt, is a rescue, and the production's animal department cast and rescued her. Squid was a perfect match to play the scruffy larrikin lead, imbued with a natural agility and nimbleness. Upson Downs is a charming setting for the family farm that has a natural storybook quality, the tight-knit community bringing wholesomeness to the whole feel of the film.


Young Lily La Torre is a true star with a depth and perception way beyond her years. She holds her own on screen, alongside such a talented and experienced cast, and is effortlessly natural in her performance. The surnames are a giveaway, as she works alongside her own brother who plays her brother on screen, and provides the crazies, which seems to be a theme, along with fixing things, that runs through the veins of this family. As Annie's brother, Max dreams of becoming a YouTube star and gets up to some crazy antics. There's understated comedy in the film that provides the humour derived from natural consequences, without going over the top. There's plenty of that coming from scenes of Celeste Barber's attempt at making pies, as a loving husband and daughter prevent a fallout behind the scenes. Luckily she's handy as a seamstress. Jai Courtney is far removed from his usual tough guy role, and takes on playing a dad with a hidden passion, with ease. I'd call Australian screen legend Jack Thompson's role as a cameo, with Matt Day as he has never been seen before, adding a dash of dazzle and malevolence. He really is perfect as a character draped in vanity and entitlement, who is more than a little underhanded, and gives a standout performance. Deborah Mailman takes a bit of a backseat from her usual starring roles, but her performance brings out the heart and humanity, and adds to the warmth of the story. Overall the whole story is heartwarming and one the whole family can enjoy. Runt may well be the movie the world needs right now with a tapestry of love, support, family, community, and friendship at its core.




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