On Swift Horses blends two different, yet parallel stories about exploring sexuality. Set in the late 1950s, Lee (Will Poulter) and Muriel (Daisy Edgar Jones) are recently engaged, trying to set up a new life, when Julius (Jacob Elordi) pays them a visit after his discharge from the Korean War. From the beginning, the film establishes a connection between Muriel and Julius, but puts their shared moments on pause when a time skip separates the trio, placing Julius in Las Vegas and the now-married couple in California. As the trio explores and adjusts to their new worlds, Julius becomes attached to Henry (Diego Calva) in Vegas while Muriel begins seeing Sandra (Sasha Calle).
The film establishes the oppositional forces early on, painting Lee and Muriel as newcomers attempting to fit into Californian society as they chase the American Dream, but remain outsiders despite their best efforts. Julius, on the other hand, seems to find his crowd quickly in Vegas as he and Henry share aspirations in gambling, but battle against heteronormativity creates an inner turmoil within Julius. The opposing forces of desire and expectations rule the film and the characters’ separate conflicts that fall parallel to one another as Muriel and Julius both must decide whether or not they should succumb to cultural expectations or pursue their desired paths. How Julius and Muriel’s stories complement each other is engaging, but the film's slow pacing hinders the momentum gathered in separate storylines. For example, as the plot begins getting exciting for Julius during his environment of gambling, the perspective switches to Muriel, who is just getting the ball rolling in her new life. This not only hurts the show-stopping performances that may have come from the film, but also creates a lack of presence for Calva and Calle as their characters are mainly portrayed as desirable and flawed, creating reason as to why Julius and Muriel should not end up with them– as if the two main characters do not have their flaws as well.
The conflicts and relationships seem stale and reused, as nothing new or mindblowing is provided in this film. The most refreshing aspect is Will Poulter’s portrayal of Lee, who balances empathy, jealousy, and yearning for Muriel and Julius as he learns about their desires. Poulter gives a strong monologue during a climactic moment between Lee and Muriel that reinvigorates the film for a short moment and inspires some real emotion in a film where everything else feels flat.
The biggest fault of the film, however, comes from its roots in casting decisions. Jacob Elordi is unconvincing in this performance and leaves audiences wanting more, as Elordi is usually tied to masculine characters. Whether the distaste in his performance is informed by previous characters or his overbearing presence in social discourse, it is hard not to think of Nate Jacobs (Elordi’s character from the hit series, Euphoria) or Felix Catton (Elordi’s character in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn), both of which emulate heterosexuality. Similarly, while putting on a convincing act, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sasha Calle feel out of place. This feeling could be part of the storytelling technique as they are supposed to be clashing with popular cultural norms, but it has more to do with the modernity of their beauty. They do not feel native to this era. This issue extends past character choices, too, however, as the entire film is simply too modern-looking. Perhaps this is attributed to the film being captured like a television show, which Minihan is known for, or the decision to shoot digitally. Digital photography in combination with the minimalist approach in production design, makes the world feel too polished and hollow.
Though it tries to immerse readers in the world and the characters, nothing sticks as a general lack of depth fills each frame and performance.
The film establishes the oppositional forces early on, painting Lee and Muriel as newcomers attempting to fit into Californian society as they chase the American Dream, but remain outsiders despite their best efforts. Julius, on the other hand, seems to find his crowd quickly in Vegas as he and Henry share aspirations in gambling, but battle against heteronormativity creates an inner turmoil within Julius. The opposing forces of desire and expectations rule the film and the characters’ separate conflicts that fall parallel to one another as Muriel and Julius both must decide whether or not they should succumb to cultural expectations or pursue their desired paths. How Julius and Muriel’s stories complement each other is engaging, but the film's slow pacing hinders the momentum gathered in separate storylines. For example, as the plot begins getting exciting for Julius during his environment of gambling, the perspective switches to Muriel, who is just getting the ball rolling in her new life. This not only hurts the show-stopping performances that may have come from the film, but also creates a lack of presence for Calva and Calle as their characters are mainly portrayed as desirable and flawed, creating reason as to why Julius and Muriel should not end up with them– as if the two main characters do not have their flaws as well.
The conflicts and relationships seem stale and reused, as nothing new or mindblowing is provided in this film. The most refreshing aspect is Will Poulter’s portrayal of Lee, who balances empathy, jealousy, and yearning for Muriel and Julius as he learns about their desires. Poulter gives a strong monologue during a climactic moment between Lee and Muriel that reinvigorates the film for a short moment and inspires some real emotion in a film where everything else feels flat.
The biggest fault of the film, however, comes from its roots in casting decisions. Jacob Elordi is unconvincing in this performance and leaves audiences wanting more, as Elordi is usually tied to masculine characters. Whether the distaste in his performance is informed by previous characters or his overbearing presence in social discourse, it is hard not to think of Nate Jacobs (Elordi’s character from the hit series, Euphoria) or Felix Catton (Elordi’s character in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn), both of which emulate heterosexuality. Similarly, while putting on a convincing act, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sasha Calle feel out of place. This feeling could be part of the storytelling technique as they are supposed to be clashing with popular cultural norms, but it has more to do with the modernity of their beauty. They do not feel native to this era. This issue extends past character choices, too, however, as the entire film is simply too modern-looking. Perhaps this is attributed to the film being captured like a television show, which Minihan is known for, or the decision to shoot digitally. Digital photography in combination with the minimalist approach in production design, makes the world feel too polished and hollow.
Though it tries to immerse readers in the world and the characters, nothing sticks as a general lack of depth fills each frame and performance.
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