"Hungary's spirits are back up - on a horse", declare the newspaper headlines. "The horse who gave a nation back its pride." When the thoroughbred is pounding down the manicured furlongs of an international racecourse - its jockey clad in the red, white and green of the Hungarian flag - the country can forget about the resignation of its Prime Minister, the rapid devaluation of its currency, and the IMF bailout. In these times of economic anaemia, the four-year-old Overdose has become the Hungarian Seabiscuit. "The Hungarian people are starving for some kind of success, for something to look up to", says Zoltan Mikoczy, the horse's owner. "Some of us think we are going to change the world with this horse."

Bought for a pittance back in 2006, Overdose - nicknamed the Budapest Bullet - was a revelation, going on to win five derbies and eight championships with his training team based in Dunakezsi. But when Mikoczy becomes embroiled in scandal over smuggling lawsuits and bankruptcy claims, Overdose's future looks to be in jeopardy. In an attempt to keep him in the country, business leaders club together to buy a 50% stake. "Having pronounced Overdose a symbol of the Hungarian recovery, it would be very embarrassing if he lost his citizenship." With outside investment, however, comes outside influence.

Between the conflicting interests of sponsor and trainer, the animal's well being becomes a matter of opinion. "Either they stop this nonsense, or mess him up and make him lame", says Sandor Ribarszki, his former handler. "Sandor Ribarszki hasn't got a Hungarian trainer's permit, so he can't be Overdose's trainer any more", stresses one of the horse's 10 new owners. "That relationship is over. It's a national affair now." Following Overdose's entourage as he works towards a comeback, this crafted doc looks beyond the brass bands and silverware to the politics of the stable, where tensions simmer and tempers fray.

Best Documentary, Vukovar Film Festival 2014
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