Lesson 3: Resilience

Task 1: How does resilience connect to the underdog story?

Resilience is what helps an underdog keep going, even when things seem impossible. In RUNT, Annie Shearer faces tough challenges and is underestimated by others. But through resilience, she keeps learning and never gives up. Resilience is the key to proving that even the underdog can overcome obstacles and succeed, no matter how hard it gets.

Annie Shearer and her dog try to win a lucrative dog agility competition in London. The prize money would be enough to pay off her parents’ overdraft at the bank and save the family farm.  

Many obstacles stand in their way. There’s Fergus Fink, an unscrupulous dog handler. Earl Robert-Barren, a greedy land-owner intent on acquiring the Shearer property. And a strange quirk: Runt will only obey Annie’s commands when nobody else is watching. Annie must be resilient to overcome these challenges.   

Describing Annie, author and screenwriter Craig Silvey said:

“She's a very determined, robust, resilient, young character, and I felt an affinity with her. I hope that people connect with Annie, and appreciate this thread of friendship and care, and resilience and compassion that she embodies.” 

The family and friends who support Annie on her journey also demonstrate resilience. These characters include Annie’s mother Susie (the nation’s worst baker), her father Bryan (who harbours a secret passion), her daredevil brother Max, her widow grandmother Dolly, and the mysterious retired champion, Bernadette Box. 

As a class, discuss the meaning of the word ‘resilience’ and then identify examples of resilience from the film.

Task 2: Shearer family resilience

How do the following characters from the Shearer family show resilience? Using the below table, identify the obstacles each character faces and how they show resilience.

Task 3: Create your own resilient character and underdog story

In groups of five students, create an original resilient character and write a short story about their journey. Draw your character and give them a name, then include important details like their age, hobbies, strengths and weaknesses.

Review the story mapping exercise in Lesson 2, after you’ve become familiar with the underdog story points write a story about your resilient character.

One member of the group will write the ‘Beginning’ of the story (1-2 paragraphs). Once it's complete, read it to the group for feedback. Then, another group member will write the ‘Challenges’ section (1-2 paragraphs), share it for feedback, and repeat the same process for the ‘Turning Point’, ‘Climax’ and ‘Resolution’ sections.

By the end, you will have created a compelling short story. Collaboration is an essential skill in filmmaking, and you have just developed one of the most important aspects of the creative process.

Task 4: Reflection

In a written response, reflect on a time when you showed resilience, similar to how Annie struggles but continues to push back against the obstacles in RUNT. Think about a moment in your life when you felt overwhelmed, misunderstood or powerless and explain how you responded. In just a few sentences, describe what happened, how you dealt with it, and what you learned about yourself - just as Annie's experiences reveal her resilence.