Written by Oscar nominated filmmaker Jim Sheridan, and directed by Mike Newell, the director of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, Into The West (1992) , released in 1992, is a charming little family film that comes across as something Anthony Trollope might have written, with a dash of magical realism thrown in for good measure.
The story follows two young boys, Tito and Ossie, and their adventures when a beautiful white pony suddenly emerges out of nowhere and into their lives.
This was Director Mike Newell’s first foray into fantasy, years before finding massive success with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (2005).
The film’s first half is almost flawless, depicting the poor with humor, humanity, and a dignity rarely seen in mainstream movies and the score by Patrick Doyle is gorgeous. But the second half stumbles quite a bit, with the villains coming off as mere caricatures, and the plot getting more and more far fetched and lazy.
But this is a sentimental, warm-hearted film for all the family, and one which has many moments of true magic.
Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2022.
Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of several short films and a feature, which was released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. He is also the host of The Dark Fantastic Podcast. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @DFantasticPodcast
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