Deadly Ponies Gang!

On horses, humor & heart.

Dwayne & Clint are best friends living in New Zealand, well meaning deadbeats that have opted for souped up equines instead of souped up cars. Oddly enough I looked up the phrase souped up (because I've never typed it and didn't want to spell it wrong) and some say it has origins in horse racing, a term used to describe steroid injected animals! Ha! Not that these ponies are on drugs exactly...but their riders definitely are! The duo are the subjects of the comedic documentary The Deadly Ponies Gang which is full of stoners, graffiti, rapping cowboys, dentures, horse girls, horse thugs and extreme hilarity & heart.

Clint & Dwayne's "gang" consists of them. And sometimes a young boy who rides a horse and makes pretty stellar cardboard art cars. They idolize a country music rapper who often performs atop a sleek, gorgeous horse. They bring their horses to a beach to pick up chicks. I think there are even gang related tattoos at some point? The documentary mostly revolves around the pursuit of getting toothless Dwayne teeth, a tale that director Zoe McIntosh tells through keen editing, a soft eye and a mellow presence behind the camera that feels respectful & affectionate yet wholly curious of her one-of-a-kind subjects. When I saw this film I remember going through a lot of phases- first wondering if it was some sort of mockumentary, then laughing at the gang, then laughing with the gang, and then ending in a genuine caring for this pair of wayward pony lovers. It is a sweet, funny film that looks at friends creating their own very unique lifestyle while trying to do what all of us are trying to do, to be happy and find love in whatever form it chooses to take.

A free screening of The Deadly Ponies Gang is being presented by Rooftop Films & Industry City at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City Queens tomorrow (Wednesday July 15th) at 8pm, weather permitting. The director and one of the main subjects will be in attendance too! I don't want to say it's a family film exactly (drugs?)....but it is a film that I think anyone can, and should, easily enjoy.


The Deadly Ponies gang trailer. from Zoe McIntosh on Vimeo.