Most sports documentaries share a format. It goes like this: from the raw material of latent talent is crafted, by means of discipline and despite various setbacks, a triumph. In this glorious conclusion, tears may be shed. Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance is giving away a fair amount from its title alone. Yet, this story of an unlikely Welsh National winner bred in the Valleys charms precisely by its surprises. It’s not an effect confined to Britain, either. The film won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance festival earlier in the year. Director Louise Osmond has employed conventional enough techniques – interview, archive and reconstruction – to tell the story. Yet as with her last cinema release documentary Deep Water
16 April 2015, The Tablet
Winner alright
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login