White Star (2019)

Directed by: Jamel Aattache | 82 minutes | family | Actors: Richelle Plantinga, Sterre van Woudenberg, Kees Boot, Valentijn Avé, Tina de Bruin, Pim Wessels, Bart Klever, Loek Peters, Victoria Koblenko, Britt Dekker, Sterre Koning, Florence Vos Weeda, Matt Harnacke, Tim Douwsma, Ton Does, Bjorn Remmerswaal

Movies about teenage girls and horses all seem to come from the copy-paste factory. There is always a horse owner who is definitely not worthy of the animal – who does not appreciate the horse in question, mistreats it or even mistreats it; invariably there is a competition (dressage, competition or the like) in which the protagonist has no chance at all, but gives a haughty competitor(e) the check. In the Britt-Dekker vehicle ‘Whitestar’ there is also not an ounce of originality to be found.

Britt Dekker is a presenter, YouTuber and horse lover. She got a horse, George, for her collaboration with Talpa. This horse and Britt herself are prominently featured on the poster of ‘Whitestar’, the film that Britt conceived and co-produced. However, the leading role is for Richelle Plantinga, born in 1999. She plays Megan, a girl who works at a riding school and dreams of having her own horse one day. The older version of Megan – which can be seen in one or two scenes – is played by Britt Dekker.

Megan lives with her mother (Tina de Bruin) in a cozy little house. Her father was a talented rider before he died, and Megan must have inherited some of his genes, as she loves horses. She takes her work at the riding school of the grumpy Alex (Kees Boot) seriously, but it doesn’t make her really happy. Alex snaps at everyone and he doesn’t have much heart for the animals either. He does it purely for the money. When a promising young foal does not bring in the intended profit, because the animal cannot be ridden, he gives the animal to Megan in exchange for her wages. Of course, Megan is not allowed to keep the horse from her mother, because she cannot afford the maintenance, but Megan has now made friends with Gerrit (Bart Klever), who used to train her father. Gerrit sees many possibilities in the special bond between Megan and the young stallion, whom she calls Whitestar. With the support of her friends Julia and Eddy, she successfully competes in a jumping competition. But then Alex finds out that maybe he got rid of his horse too soon…

As said, ‘Whitestar’ does not rely on originality, but the acting also leaves much to be desired. However, this is largely due to the woodenly written dialogues and the oversimplified scenario, in which Kees Boot in particular comes off as an unbelievable jerk. The film could also have been a bit more subtle: if the roof of the house where Megan and her mother live, for example, leaks, and her mother indicates that she has no money for repairs, you as a viewer just know what the selfless Megan is going to spend her savings on. Fortunately, Richelle Plantinga is worth watching, she makes the timid, dreamy Megan an interesting character. The camera work is adequate, but apart from some drone shots of the coast, not very striking. However, the choice to have the scenes that take place “nine years later” filled in by older actors (including Britt Dekker, who plays the adult Megan) is incomprehensible: for the target group this is only confusing. ‘Whitestar’ will be pretty fun entertainment for horse girls – and boys, but it’s totally interchangeable fun.