Lohman Shares Her Thoughts on the Movie and on Her Riding Experiences

“I see in them my own restless spirit,” said Katy McLaughlin, played by Alison Lohman, when talking about the Wild Mustangs in the movie Flicka, which will be released on October 20th. You can see what she means as the movie opens with a herd of horses galloping across the plains of Wyoming, the state that is home to her family’s ranch. Katy is the only daughter in a long line of ranchers and her passion is in the land and the horses that roam there free and alive.

In the movie Lohman befriends a Wild Mustang mare, which she names Flicka after a ranch hand translates its meaning from Swedish as a young innocent girl, a pretty girl. Katy (15) like Flicka (a two-year-old) is also young and beautiful and they both have that same wild spirit and bold strength that her father misinterprets. Yet it is those characteristics that ultimately help them to understand each other.

Lohman’s character is very much tied in with her father. Instead of recognizing how alike they are, Katy’s dad (Rob McLaughlin) sees this as rebellion and tries to control his daughter who has just returned from boarding school with failing grades. He is disappointed in her and just like her teachers, he sees her as someone who needs to be controlled and redirected.

“Her father was rebellious,” explains Lohman. “Her father at that age was probably who she is. She has a strong sense of who she is which clashes with how the teacher sees everyone else,” explains Lohman.