‘Dream Horse’ resonates with warm sense of humor and heart

What’s in a name? For the plucky Welsh racehorse Dream Alliance, well, a lot. His mighty moniker reflects the big dreams of his unlikely owners, a syndicate of working-class folks from a tiny Welsh coal mining village.

Based on a true story, “Dream Horse” depicts the amazing tale of Jan Vokes (Toni Collette) who rallies her community to pitch in a few pounds a week and make a go of it in the high-stakes, high-class world of racehorses.

In the rousing, inspirational “Dream Horse,” one remarkable colt allows a community to find a connection with one another that seems long lost.

The story of Dream Alliance is the subject of the 2015 documentary, “Dark Horse,” by Louise Osmond, and in “Dream Horse,” Welsh director Euros Lyn infuses the tale with a warm sense of humor and heart, thrilling emotional stakes and a deeply felt sense of Welsh pride.

The screenplay, by Neil McKay, demonstrates how something as now formulaic as an underdog sports story can still resonate with charming characters and relatable conflict.

For Jan, life in the village has become rote, mundane. Her children grown, she works in the local food co-op and at the bar. She cares for her aged parents and seems to merely co-exist with her husband Brian (Owen Teale), who is glued to farming shows on the telly.

When she overhears a tax adviser (Damian Lewis) discussing his racing syndicate at the pub, she gets the itch for competition, long dormant since her days racing pigeons. She convinces her husband to buy a thoroughbred mare, Rewbell, and then she convinces the butcher, the banker, the bartender, the barfly and more of her neighbors to join her syndicate for 10 pounds a week, with the intent to breed a champion racehorse.

Even with the promise of cash, there’s a less than 1% chance of winning, so the group votes to do it for the “hwyl,” a Welsh word meaning “emotional motivation,” or “fun,” something of which they could all use a bit more.

But Dream Alliance is more than just a good time, he also proves to be a surprise phenom on the track. So, the syndicate alights from the sprawling green felt of the pub pool table to the sprawling green fields of the racetrack. Lyn captures the posh atmosphere and excitement of the environment, to which this group brings a sense of rough-hewn enthusiasm.

Based on real people, it’s not difficult to populate the syndicate with a motley crew of funny, quirky folks, but McKay pays careful attention to each one; every character and their desires are carefully outlined if not thoroughly sketched.

There’s enough good humor and just a dash of vinegar to temper the tone from becoming too treacly or sentimental, though the triumphant moments are incredibly effective and moving.