It’s the Eisenhower era, a time of postwar promise in California, a place for new beginnings and new love. In this setting Shannon Pufahl set her first novel which won an award for lesbian literature but in the movie version it becomes a more complex romantic drama, mixed with gambling, noirish tones, horse racing and a complicated love triangle. Mash as well as they can, but give this charming and talented cast an ‘A’ for trying to make it all plausible.
Lee (Will Poulter), an agreeable man has come home from the Korean War to settle down and start a dream family life with his wife Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones), and all seems well for a while until Lee’s brother Julius enters the picture a little while down the road. Lee hopes that they can all succeed in this fresh new world but matters of the heart interfere, much to Lee’s unawareness. There is romantic tension between Muriel and Julius, awkward yes because he is her brother-in-law. You’d think you’d know where this was all going. It does not go there, although it is clear that the two are connected, a secret Connection But Julius, the drifter-type that he stands for, disappears again and heads to the casino to find someone who swindled him, but what he discovers is an entry into the world of gambling as well as some of the best, including bedding a woman who leaves cash. There are hustles. After their brief attempt at the table. Is he really a hustler? Real romance for her comes from connecting with Henry professionally and personally (Diego Calva) and the mystery of Julius’ past comes into full focus as they begin to get in over their heads in the poker business as well as in a heated sexual relationship.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that in her heart Muriel is missing something in her young marriage, which seems perfect, and before long she finds satisfaction not at home but at the track where she experiences the excitement of betting on horses, completely unknown to Lee. was She can never find hiding places for all the cash she brings home. Even in this world her own inner needs surface when she meets and becomes romantically attracted to Sandra (Sasha Kale).
Look at the timeline
All of these plot developments are woven into this disjointed movie that can’t decide which thread to follow, which character to focus on, and so on. I think the real interest here is the magnetic attraction between Muriel and Julius, although both know it will never work because this is the 50’s, they both know they have this mysterious love that they know is platonic. should stay, but still they follow their own desires. Which suggests they may never be together.
Director Daniel Minahan who created the Emmy winning limited series Halston, and was also an executive producer and director on this year’s Emmy nominee fellow travellers It’s fair to say that there are the bones of a really interesting and complex romantic drama here, but Bryce Cass’s adaptation of the novel just can’t find a way to conjure it up. fellow travellers, Which it does in part – it does the same gloriously in following the doomed romance of Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey’s characters in the sexually repressed ’80s of the ’50s, but the scenario has too many ways to divert our attention to actually make it. Memorable
Edgar-Jones also seems to have a hard time figuring out who Muriel is, though certainly not the easiest character to define as someone longing for a homosexual relationship in the 1950s as a newlywed. Poulter is the poor lost soul in all of this and may be the antagonist between his brother and his wife but he’s actually a good old boy. You feel for him because he thought he was going to live the American dream. Elordi is becoming one of the most interesting actors around, especially after Saltburn And Euphoria cemented its sex symbol bonafides. If they ever do a remake hood That’s the person. However it is Calva, an invention of Damien Chazelle Babylon Who stands out is an interesting character to be sure, and Calva hits all the right notes in and out of bed with Elordi.
Luke Montpellier’s golden-hued cinematography really reflects the California charm of the time, and the film looks terrific. Producers are Peter Spears, Daniel Minahan, Tim Haddington, Molly Asher, Theresa Steele Page, Michael D’Alto. It is looking for distribution.
Title: On a swift horse
Festival: Toronto
Director: Daniel Minahan
Screenplay: Bryce Cass
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob ElordiWill Poulter, Sasha Kale, Diego Calva.
Running Time: 1 hour and 59 minutes
Sales Agent: Uta
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