Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Last night I watched the movie Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story with a fellow dreamer. As we left the theater we talked about how much easier it is for children to believe in the impossible than it is for adults.
Little girls believe they can be an astronaut, the president of the United States, and Miss America all in the same day! But we adults believe we don’t have the brains, connections or beauty to do any of those things.
On my drive home last night I was thinking about the self-limiting beliefs that I have… that many of my friends have. We’re too old, it’s too late to start over, we don’t have the money, time, energy, etc. We focus on what we lack rather than what we possess.
In the movie Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, Ben Crane (played by Kurt Russell) follows the same pattern. He doesn’t have the money… he doesn’t have the heart… to chase a dream. But his daughter Cale (played by Dakota Fanning) does.
What Ben Crane lacks, his daughter has in abundance. And it is her belief and her spirit that drives Ben to do what might seem to be impossible.
Before writing this entry, I wanted to find out more about the real story behind the movie. We know that many “based on a true story” movies are riddled with instances of “creative license” to make the story flow smoother, to tie loose ends up, to make it more powerful. I worried that “inspired by a true story” might mean even more deviation from the facts.
Read an article on Mariah’s Storm. The inspiration behind Dreamer.
As I compare what I’ve learned about Mariah’s Storm in this article and the events in the movie, I can’t help but think that the real story is more powerful. But perhaps the writer was correct… it isn’t quite as heart-touching or visually crafted. Or perhaps the horse’s owner just wasn’t interested in sharing her story with the world in this media.
But the theme in both the real and fictionalized accounts are the same: when you fall, get up and race again. If your spirit is strong you can win. Be determined, be focused. Don’t look for excuses why you might fail, declare that you will succeed!
I know you have a dream you want to explore. You may keep it hidden from others. You may even keep it hidden from yourself most of the time. But I dare you to take it out and show it to the world.
In the movie (and I’m sure in Mariah’s Storms real life) the horse and owners could not do everything themselves. They needed to ask for help. They needed to swallow their pride occasionally. But people were willing to help. It was just a matter of finding the right people to ask and knowing the right motivation to get them involved.
Who can help you achieve your dream? Who can believe in you when you start to have doubts? Who can help you find resources to keep you moving forward? Who will you ask to be part of your dream team?
