Australian Mythology: The Selective Celebration of Rachel Griffiths' 'Ride Like a Girl'

Dramatising the 2015 victory of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, Rachel Griffiths' debut feature emphasises its protagonist's groundbreaking achievement while giving short shrift to the darker aspects of her story. Ultimately, contends Debbie Zhou, the film chooses to either downplay or outright ignore harmful aspects of the horseracing industry in order to protect its narrative's feel-good feminist veneer.

Additional keywords:
Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill, Magda Szubanski, biopic, gender, childhood, nationalism, injury, grief, Phar Lap, ANZAC legacy, masculinity, white feminism, animal cruelty, horses, betting