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Story

Dreamer is a film about the Crane family who live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by racing stables. The farm once had a stable full of horses, but this is no longer the case. Now Ben Crane (Kurt Russell), a talented horseman, works for one of the rich stables in the area. Ben’s 10-year-old daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), is desperate to go to work with her father. When she eventually goes with him to the race track, she meets the beautiful filly, Sonyadore. Ben advises the owner not to run Sonyadore in a particular race, but the owner insists. During the race, Sonyadore 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 he, Cale and other members of the family, including Mum (Elizabeth Shue) and Pop (Kris Kristofferson), work together with sheer determination, guts and willpower to try to get the horse well again.

Themes

Harm to animals

Violence

None

Sexual references

None

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

None

Nudity and sexual activity

None

Product placement

None

Coarse language

None

Ideas to discuss with your children

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. Dakota Fanning in her role as Cale is particularly enjoyable to watch. This movie can be enjoyed by both older children (seven and over) and adults.

An important message in this movie is that sometimes you must draw on willpower and determination to follow a dream through. You also need to ‘give it a go’, because even though you may not succeed, it is still important to try. The movie also presents the following values:

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

You might like to talk about these values with your child.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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