Winky’s Horse

Winky Wong, six years old, and her mother Hanyi Han immigrate from China to the Netherlands to help her father at his Chinese restaurant. They confront a new language and culture while settling into a foreign home. The move sets the emotional groundwork for Winky's sense of belonging.

Winky is excited to see her father at the restaurant and meets the delivery driver Mamoun Elyounoussi and his girlfriend Sallie Harmsen. They become a second circle of adults she can lean on as she navigates a different culture. These characters broaden Winky's sense of family beyond the immediate relatives.

Winky endures a humiliating first day at school as she struggles with English and Dutch customs. She feels isolated and frightened, yet glimpses how education can connect her to the wider community. This moment marks the start of her ongoing cultural adjustment.

Winky meets a pony named Saartje and befriends the pony's owners, Tante Cor and Oom Siem. She begins visiting the stable regularly, hoping to ride, while her parents worry about safety and discourage riding. The pony becomes a dreamlike symbol of longing and a bridge to her future.

In school, Winky learns about the Sinterklaas holiday and its traditions, which slowly color her feelings about her new home. The myth and its rituals begin to shape her sense of wonder and belonging. This cultural insight becomes a lens through which she views life in the Netherlands.

A call about a sick relative pulls Winky's mother away to China, leaving Winky sad and feeling abandoned. She seeks comfort with Saartje and the pony's circle, testing her independence in the absence of her mother. The separation deepens her emotional landscape.

Siem reveals that Saartje has been euthanized due to illness and old age, crushing Winky's heart. Grief settles in as she grapples with loss and the fragility of keeping dreams alive. Saartje's death becomes a painful catalyst for growth.

Weeks pass and the class announces that Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten will be arriving for the annual parade. Winky continues to long for a horse, channeling that longing into drawings of a pony. The upcoming festivities set the stage for a pivotal emotional turn.

Samir takes Winky to the parade after her father cannot take her, and a poster signals that Sinterklaas will appear at a city department store. The anticipation ties the festival to real-world public spaces. Winky's hope grows that a cherished wish might come true.

In the city store, Sinterklaas's accompanying figure tells Winky to wait until 5 December and promises that everything will be alright. The message blends magic with patience and fuels her anticipation and anxiety. She holds onto a fragile hope amid festive preparations.

On 5 December, Sinterklaas visits Winky's school to hand out gifts, but Winky receives only a stuffed dog and leaves in tears. Outside, she discovers a horse strapped to her bicycle and impulsively rides away. The moment reframes her disappointment into a whimsical act of independence.

Sinterklaas discovers Amerigo is missing and rushes to Winky's home to explain a misunderstanding. Winky initially resists returning the horse, showing the turmoil of choosing between whimsy and responsibility. After talking with Mamoun Elyounoussi, she agrees to restore Amerigo.

The next day, Sinterklaas visits Winky and allows her to look after Amerigo at Cor and Siem's equestrian facility. Winky's parents watch as she rides again, and she begins to understand what the Netherlands and Sinterklaas mean to her family. The film closes on a note of growing belonging.