Runt is a gentle, beautifully shot, and warmly humorous small town Australian story
- Written by: John McAloon, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney
When young Annie Shearer (Lilly LaTorre) meets a stray dog named Runt (Squid) the two become inseparable.
They live in the dry Western Australian town of Upson Downs where rain hasn’t fallen in over a year. All the water in the district has been stolen upriver and stored in a dam constructed by Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson) on his property, and he has made it his business to buy up every property in the district as they go broke from drought.
Every property, that is, except the Shearer’s.
Directed by John Sheedy and adapted from the book of the same name by Craig Silvey, Runt is a gentle, beautifully shot, and warmly humorous small town Australian story that will appeal to older children and young adolescents – and engage any unsuspecting parents they manage to convince to take them along in the process.
Understanding who you are
Runt is a David and Goliath tale. In their quest to save the farm – and prevail in the struggle that ensues – we travel across the world, where Annie and Runt qualify to compete in the Agility Course Championship at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London.
Under the mentorship of Bernadette Box (Deborah Mailman), a once renowned show dog trainer, and funded by the generosity of the district, their efforts in London could see the farm saved.
Along the way, we see right pitted against wrong, watch evil confronted and, ultimately, see Annie developing an understanding of who she is and what she stands for.
Annie comes from a long line of inventors on her father’s side. Her grandfather – now passed away, and dearly missed by her grandmother Dolly Shearer (Genevieve Lemon) – was a prolific inventor with journals that detailed numerous contraptions.
One in particular, a rainmaker, becomes central as Annie follows her grandfather’s drawings to build the contraption save the family farm from drought.
Annie’s father, Bryan (Jai Courtney), is something of an inventor too. His talents lie in botany.
Creative talents extend also to Annie’s mother Susie Shearer (Celeste Barber) as a seamstress and clothes designer. Her culinary skills are particularly well known throughout the district.
There are some limitations
Despite its appeal, the film is not without its limitations.
It opens with an encounter between Runt, the local butcher shop owner, and a string of sausages.
This encounter is worthy of Lynley Dodd’s Hairy McCleary from Donaldson’s Dairy, however, the opening scenes feel underplayed and the opportunity to establish key characters feels rushed.
This is particularly true of the introduction between Annie and Runt, and also in the early appearance of Constable Duncan Bayleaf (Joel Jackson), whose character fails to develop.
Annie and Runt go to London for a dog show – and they’re cheered on by their friends at home.
Court McAllister/STUDIOCANAL
There is obvious advantage in driving a narrative intended for younger viewers by dialogue. But the opportunity to develop these relationships in visual and emotional terms is engaged only to a limited extent. This is unfortunate, as these early scenes are fundamental in establishing the story.
At times the film may engage in concepts that are unfamiliar to its child audiences. One character speaks of being “defiled” after a dog urinates on him. The dating app Dolly uses ends with an all too brief allusion to attraction between her and Bernadette. Concepts such as these may be beyond the comprehension of some younger viewers.
A story about compassion
There are some beautiful cinematic moments in Runt. The placement of Dolly Shearer’s small solo caravan under a lonesome tree on the Shearer’s property functions beautifully as a metaphor for her life, now alone, following the death of her beloved husband.
Similarly, several men comically manoeuvre a blanket to catch Annie’s brother Max Shearer (Jack La Torre), following his parachuted jump from atop the chopping pole at the district fair. This scene reflects on one of the central themes of the book and the film: the tenuous nature of identity and the risks that present themselves in the process of working out who we are and what we stand for.
This is a story about compassion for one’s self and for others.
Court McAllister/STUDIOCANAL
A few limitations notwithstanding, the film is a success because, ultimately, its central themes prevail. While a story of David and Goliath proportions, it is not one in which David necessarily prevails against Goliath. This is part of its charm.
This is a story about compassion for one’s self and for others, in spite of – or perhaps because of – our quirks. It explores and justifies “kind lies”. It presents the strength of “humble pie”, and values relationships, family and the things “we have under this roof”.
It is a story about a girl who fixes things, and learns that she can’t fix everything. And it’s a story of a dog who finds love – despite its unlikely yet understandable idiosyncrasies.
Runt is in cinemas from tomorrow.
Authors: John McAloon, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney
