Silent Partner

Australian filmmaker Alkinos Tsilimidos follows up on acclaimed 1994 debut Everynight Everynight with this tragicomic tale of two losers looking to strike it rich. Bill (Syd Brisbane) and John (David Field) have been down so long it's starting to look like up. Dissolute drunks who spend whatever money they can scrape together at the dog track. When a gangster named Alex Silver approaches them to train a greyhound that he will quietly finance as a silent partner, Bill and John fall soon grow attached to the dog, as they see it as their ticket to fortune. Unfortunately, the dog -- named Silent Partner -- comes in fourth during its first race though Bill -- with the help of a couple stiff drinks -- remains optimistic. Upon Silver's instructions, they reluctantly inject the dog with a sundry drugs and steroids. When yet the dog wins its next race by a wide margin, Bill and John's troubles have just begun. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.