Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken
Director: Steve Miner
Cast: Gabrielle Anwar, Michael Schoeffling, Cliff Robertson, Dylan Kushan, Kathleen York, Frank Renzulli, Nancy Moore, Lisa Norman, Loriann Collins, Elizabeth Hayes
Inspired by the true story of horsewoman, Sonora Webster-Carver, Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken tells of a young girl named Sonora (Gabrielle Anwar) and the intimate and beautiful bond that is born between Sonora and her horse, Lightning, as they become renowned for their horse diving thrill show. Impressed by a performance she sees at a fair, when she is runaway orphan, Sonora persuades the show’s owner, Doc Carver (Cliff Robertson), to give her a chance to become his new diving girl. When Doc Carver’s star rider, Marie (Kathleen York), is injured while riding Lightning, Sonora finds herself on the diving platform with Lightning, herself, as she prepares to make the plunge into stardom. When a freak accident leaves Sonora without her sight, she must put all her faith in Lightning, and the bond that entwines her with this wild and beautiful horse, if she ever wants to reach her dream of being a diving girl.
Dreams are a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is living one’s dream more perfectly illustrated, than in the character of Sonora, herself, and this journey this courageous, young woman embarks on, to live her own dream.
The bond that is born between Sonora and her horse, Lightning is the catalyst which allows Sonora’s dream to come true. Sonora’s dream of being a daredevil horse diver is illustrated as both a physical and a metaphorical journey. When Sonora performs the dive for the first time, she is not truly ready yet, to fulfill this dream. Although she has practiced mounting the horse, and she is finally successful, her costume doesn’t fit, and she feels like a clumsy little boy. Doc assures Sonora that “she will grow into the costume.” His wise assurance reflects not just Sonora’s costume, but Sonora journey to becoming a real diving girl. While she does successfully perform the dive, Sonora lacks all confidence in her performance, and her bowing to the crowd, after her performance, is very awkward, at best. When Sonora performs her second dive, this moment almost shatters her dream, altogether, because she is not riding Lightning this time, but another wild stallion. When the horse spooks, just as they are about to dive from the platform, due to the band playing far below her, the deafening noise causes the horse to stumble, and Sonora crashes into the water, below, with her eyes open, causing irreparable damage, and leaving Sonora permanently blind; a painful truth that she finds impossible to accept, because it means Sonora will have to give up her dream of being a diving girl.
The bond that entwines Sonora with her horse, Lightning, reflects Sonora’s character perfectly. When Sonora first encounters Lightning, both the girl, and her horse, are very much wild at heart. Sonora’s tempestuous spirit is challenged both in her aunt’s home, and when she is at school, and makes Sonora an unwanted burden in both situations. When she is at school, Sonora slaps a girl for teasing her, and as a result, she is suspended from school. When she returns home, Sonora is devastated to discover that her aunt has sold her beloved horse, Lightning, to punish Sonora for her unruly behavior. Her aunt is the unknowing catalyst which gives Sonora the chance to pursue her dream of being a star, after her she tells Sonora that she is being sent to an orphanage because her aunt is unwilling to keep her. This gives Sonora the incentive she needs to run away and join Doc Carver’s diving show.
When Sonora encounters Lightning, she sees in this beautiful, wild horse, a kindred soul; one which becomes the catalyst which allows Sonora’s dream of being a star to come true. Sonora gives Lightning his name, and wins his trust, as she and Al secretly work together to train Lightning to accept her as his rider; hoping that doing so, will convince Dr. Carver to give Sonora a chance to be his new star. When Doc Carver sees the progress, the pair have made, he tells Sonora that he will train her to be a diving girl, on the condition that she can successfully mount the horse while he is in motion. When Sonora loses her sight, her dream is momentarily lost, because she can no longer dive, but her special bond with Lightning is what gives Sonora the courage to fly again. During Sonora’s final dive in the film, we see Sonora is now truly in her element. Her costume now fits her perfectly, she bows to the audience with confidence, and she doesn’t need the groom to send Lightning to her on the platform; Lightning comes to her completely on his own. The pair make a perfect dive, and when she rises out of the water, Sonora’s expression reflects the joy she feels in this moment. Sonora goes on to be a blind diving girl, for another twelve years, and we learn that her audience never knew her secret: that the girl riding the horse was blind. Her trust in Lightning was truly absolute and unbreakable, and her dream had come true, at last.
It has been a minute, since I last saw this film, but watching this story now, through the eyes of an adult, I can better appreciate Sonora’s journey with Lightning, and the courage that she had to find within herself, to fulfill her dream. The casting for this film is stellar, particularly for Gabrielle Anwar who portrays Sonora in a way that is both unapologetic and unvarnished, while still being inspiring. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Steve Miner
Cast: Gabrielle Anwar, Michael Schoeffling, Cliff Robertson, Dylan Kushan, Kathleen York, Frank Renzulli, Nancy Moore, Lisa Norman, Loriann Collins, Elizabeth Hayes
Inspired by the true story of horsewoman, Sonora Webster-Carver, Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken tells of a young girl named Sonora (Gabrielle Anwar) and the intimate and beautiful bond that is born between Sonora and her horse, Lightning, as they become renowned for their horse diving thrill show. Impressed by a performance she sees at a fair, when she is runaway orphan, Sonora persuades the show’s owner, Doc Carver (Cliff Robertson), to give her a chance to become his new diving girl. When Doc Carver’s star rider, Marie (Kathleen York), is injured while riding Lightning, Sonora finds herself on the diving platform with Lightning, herself, as she prepares to make the plunge into stardom. When a freak accident leaves Sonora without her sight, she must put all her faith in Lightning, and the bond that entwines her with this wild and beautiful horse, if she ever wants to reach her dream of being a diving girl.
Dreams are a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is living one’s dream more perfectly illustrated, than in the character of Sonora, herself, and this journey this courageous, young woman embarks on, to live her own dream.
The bond that is born between Sonora and her horse, Lightning is the catalyst which allows Sonora’s dream to come true. Sonora’s dream of being a daredevil horse diver is illustrated as both a physical and a metaphorical journey. When Sonora performs the dive for the first time, she is not truly ready yet, to fulfill this dream. Although she has practiced mounting the horse, and she is finally successful, her costume doesn’t fit, and she feels like a clumsy little boy. Doc assures Sonora that “she will grow into the costume.” His wise assurance reflects not just Sonora’s costume, but Sonora journey to becoming a real diving girl. While she does successfully perform the dive, Sonora lacks all confidence in her performance, and her bowing to the crowd, after her performance, is very awkward, at best. When Sonora performs her second dive, this moment almost shatters her dream, altogether, because she is not riding Lightning this time, but another wild stallion. When the horse spooks, just as they are about to dive from the platform, due to the band playing far below her, the deafening noise causes the horse to stumble, and Sonora crashes into the water, below, with her eyes open, causing irreparable damage, and leaving Sonora permanently blind; a painful truth that she finds impossible to accept, because it means Sonora will have to give up her dream of being a diving girl.
The bond that entwines Sonora with her horse, Lightning, reflects Sonora’s character perfectly. When Sonora first encounters Lightning, both the girl, and her horse, are very much wild at heart. Sonora’s tempestuous spirit is challenged both in her aunt’s home, and when she is at school, and makes Sonora an unwanted burden in both situations. When she is at school, Sonora slaps a girl for teasing her, and as a result, she is suspended from school. When she returns home, Sonora is devastated to discover that her aunt has sold her beloved horse, Lightning, to punish Sonora for her unruly behavior. Her aunt is the unknowing catalyst which gives Sonora the chance to pursue her dream of being a star, after her she tells Sonora that she is being sent to an orphanage because her aunt is unwilling to keep her. This gives Sonora the incentive she needs to run away and join Doc Carver’s diving show.
When Sonora encounters Lightning, she sees in this beautiful, wild horse, a kindred soul; one which becomes the catalyst which allows Sonora’s dream of being a star to come true. Sonora gives Lightning his name, and wins his trust, as she and Al secretly work together to train Lightning to accept her as his rider; hoping that doing so, will convince Dr. Carver to give Sonora a chance to be his new star. When Doc Carver sees the progress, the pair have made, he tells Sonora that he will train her to be a diving girl, on the condition that she can successfully mount the horse while he is in motion. When Sonora loses her sight, her dream is momentarily lost, because she can no longer dive, but her special bond with Lightning is what gives Sonora the courage to fly again. During Sonora’s final dive in the film, we see Sonora is now truly in her element. Her costume now fits her perfectly, she bows to the audience with confidence, and she doesn’t need the groom to send Lightning to her on the platform; Lightning comes to her completely on his own. The pair make a perfect dive, and when she rises out of the water, Sonora’s expression reflects the joy she feels in this moment. Sonora goes on to be a blind diving girl, for another twelve years, and we learn that her audience never knew her secret: that the girl riding the horse was blind. Her trust in Lightning was truly absolute and unbreakable, and her dream had come true, at last.
It has been a minute, since I last saw this film, but watching this story now, through the eyes of an adult, I can better appreciate Sonora’s journey with Lightning, and the courage that she had to find within herself, to fulfill her dream. The casting for this film is stellar, particularly for Gabrielle Anwar who portrays Sonora in a way that is both unapologetic and unvarnished, while still being inspiring. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.