Running Wild

Running Wild

Jan. 27, 2017

I’ve always thought that if you wake up the morning after seeing a movie, and your first conscious thoughts are memories of it, that’s a movie that spoke to you. And so it was when I was treated to a private screening of a film that is due out in February. Running Wild is a movie that will appeal to a wide range of viewers,  but it has California roots, and will have a special appeal for California horse men/women.

Set in the Napa Valley, and filmed on the K2 Ranch in Glen Ellen, CA, the rugged scenery will feel like home to West Coasters. With a star-studded cast that includes Sharon Stone, Jason Lewis (Sex and the City), Dorian Brown Pham, Tommy Flanagan, and more, it highlights the very real problem of California’s wild horses — protected, but struggling to survive in times of drought. It presents both sides of a very emotional issue, while drawing the viewer into an intimate story.  Though it illuminates two diametrically opposing points of view, it does so against a backdrop of a beautiful and genuine story that touches the heart. For horse lovers, it will have an undeniable appeal, and for horse lovers and romantics like me, it will pull at your heart strings as well.

As a horse person, I found myself wondering how the horses (who are among the main actors) were trained to play their parts. They played their parts well, as did the actors, all of whom did their own riding scenes without stunt people. (Some of them had never been on the back of a horse, but viewers would never know that.) Behind the scenes, the trainers, coaches, and wranglers did an amazing job. Running Wild hits select theaters and video on demand February 10. runningwildmovie.com, facebook.com/RunningWildMovie/?fref=ts   Roblee Valentine