Young Black Stallion

Australian director Simon ‘Free Willy’ Wincer had just 50 minutes to put this skeletal story across, which is probably why he opted for a simple, undemanding approach. A prequel to Carroll Ballard’s emotionally-charged 1979 horse drama, the film is set in the African desert at the close of WWII and centres on the granddaughter of a poor, down-hearted Arab farmer and her growing relationship with a beautiful black colt whose mother is seen being captured during the opening credits. Neera (Biana Tamimi) and her fiery four-legged friend soon become inseparable, and when she hears of a local desert race in which the winner takes possession of the losers’ horses, she disobeys her grandfather and enters…

Signposts, slushy ‘Lawrence of Arabia’-style swooning strings and elementary performances notwithstanding, this is a refreshingly old-fashioned antidote to many of this summer’s superficial blockbusters. And because it was shot in the giant IMAX format, you can be sure it looks ravishing.