On Swift Horses

On Swift Horses is a slow-burning, atmospheric drama about love, secrets, and self-discovery. The film's strength lies in its strong performances and beautiful cinematography, which capture the quiet intensity of the characters' emotions. While the pacing is deliberate and may feel too slow for some, the emotional depth and subtle storytelling make it worthwhile. It's a thoughtful film that lingers after the credits, exploring themes of longing and identity with sensitivity.

Synopsis: Muriel and her husband Lee are beginning a bright new life in California when he returns from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee's charismatic brother, Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he's fallen for, Muriel's longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible.

Muriel (Daisy Edgar Jones) and her husband Lee (Will Poulter) are about to begin a bright new life, which is upended by the arrival of Lee's brother Julius (Jacob Elordi). Muriel embarks on a secret life, gambling on racehorses and discovering a love she never thought possible.

I think the film is trying to say that none of us know what we want, until we lose what we don't want, and find what we do. But I could be wrong because this tedious film doesn't actually seem to have a point.

It's nicely filmed, but so slow I was getting quite frustrated at things not happening, and when they did they made no sense. I honestly think it is nothing more than a titillating film with men on men sex, women on women sex and plenty of boobs, camel toe and men in white underpants.

There's no real flow at all and no real storyline; it's empty and boring. Will Poulter is great but apart from him there's not much decent acting going on. It was laborious to get through to the end so I give it a 4 and that's being incredibly generous.

The adaptation of Shannon Pufahl's novel by Daniel Minahan with a script by Bryce Kass, leaves the feeling of a film that doesn't quite fit together, in which it seems to have good ideas, but not fully developed ones that end up leaving us with the feeling of a film that lacks strength.

With a star-studded cast led by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, and Diego Calva, they are the ones who allow the film to function in terms of intensity, thanks to their solid, dedicated performances. This relationship of indomitable characters is perfectly portrayed by the cast and sustains the weaker moments of the script.

Daniel Minahan's direction is sensual and seductive, complemented by his excellent photography and artistic design, but it is also limited in what his script offers to exploit. We find ourselves with a decent script, but it doesn't explode when it seems it should and feels somewhat chained to the correctness of a proposal that should please everyone, rather than finding its own space and time to invite the viewer to be part of this game of forbidden, seductive, and incorrect romance. Unfortunately, this limitation prevents us from enjoying an intense drama, that of a period romance and the epic of romanticism that is sometimes so lacking in cinema.

What's worth saying is that the film does have a feeling, and it brilliantly applies it to this forbidden love about sexual identity and finding oneself. It's a powerful vision of the fissures that simmer beneath the surface of the United States. It could have been much more intense, but that doesn't mean we're in the presence of an interesting proposal, one that, in its imperfection, hides the old Hollywood cinema it wants to resemble. At times, it succeeds thanks to its star-studded cast, and at others, it remains only with good intentions.

It's a film worth giving a chance to, to bring out your own feelings and emotions.

I am a big fan of Edgar-Jones and desperately wanted to love this film. I saw the film at SXSW in the beautiful Paramount theater with Edgar-Jones appearing on stage with several of the other actors. She is the producer of the film.

I found the story very disjointed and the overall flow of the film fighting against itself. Yes it is super glossy with beautiful actors across the entire cast so great eye candy but for myself uninspiring acting.

So what is the point of the story here? Is it we keep secrets or one needs to follow their own path? Honestly the end of the film was a complete let down and was thinking riding horse into the sunset was a final joke.

Ever heard the phrase "life's not meant to be managed, it's meant to be lived". I guess this movie shows it's a little bit more complicated sometimes, for some. It's a dance between managing and living. On the one hand everyone's trying to manage what others know about them and on the other hand taking great risks. Living on the edge. One character says that there's always the risk of losing it all. Nevertheless, some brave souls are willing to risk it all. For a chance at love, freedom, pleasure, connection, truth. A chance to be honestly seen and loved.

Is this a great movie? That depends. There are great things about it for sure. The actors for one. The stories told. Fascinating stories of hidden lives, and of secrets. Now exposed to us. Beautiful cinematography! Some shots literally made me want to freeze the frame, take it all in, and then after a long pause, push play.