"Actor: Joncol"

• Horses - A Year In The Lives Of Three Irish Racehorses | DVD | (05/04/2010) from £12.93   |  Saving you £2.06 (13.70%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Written and directed by acclaimed documentary film maker Liz Mermin (Shot in Bombay) this intimate observational film draws us into the inner lives of three thoroughbred racehorses over the course of a difficult racing year focusing not on jockeys or trainers but on the horses themselves. Ireland's horse-racing culture has produced some of the finest athletes in the world. The protagonists prove less reticent than one might imagine and as we watch them train rest play and race distinct characters undeniably emerge. The equine characters Cuan Na Grai Ardalan and Joncol are framed by a charismatic collection of human supporting actors - from their good-looking foul-mouthed trainer to an elderly groom who obviously prefers horses to people - but ultimately the horses command our attention on their own. Eschewing sentimentality Horses raises basic questions about what constitutes character and who can have it.