Lost in the Fog

On the surface, this a film about a horse, but in truth it's a story about the profound effect a brilliant animal has on the lives of two simple men. The proud owner of the horse, Harry Aleo, resident of progressive San Francisco, delights in putting conservative paraphernalia in the display window of his dusty old real estate office, including one sign that reads: "Welcome to an island of traditional values in a sea of liberal loonies!" While antagonizing the local liberals might be Aleo's hobby, horse racing is his great passion. That said, his darlings never went any further than the local racetrack, until Aleo decided to spend a large sum of money on a young horse from Florida called Lost in the Fog. His dream of getting a "big horse" finally came true. Coached by Aleo's horse trainer, the equally colorful Greg Gilchrist, the racehorse rapidly bloomed into a sensation on the American racetracks. In 2005, he won 10 consecutive races, plus the prestigious Eclipse Award. Potential buyers stood in line with millions of dollars, but Aleo initially refused to "sell his soul". At the last minute, this horse-racing fairytale took an ill-fated turn and Aleo and Gilchrist demonstrate how deep the love for a legendary horse can be. The camera explicitly focuses on both men and the things they say. By contrast, the film shows Lost in the Fog from a distance.