On Swift Horses
Just looking at its poster, On Swift Horses seemed destined for far greater success than it has hitherto received. Based on Shannon Pufahl’s novel, the all-encompassing queer romance stars some of the most promising faces of young Hollywood and was produced by Call Me by Your Name’s Peter Spears. After its world premiere at 2024’s TIFF, the film toured a number of North American festivals, before releasing theatrically in the United States and select European countries, and finally coming to UK cinemas in September 2025.
Set in the 1950s, Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) agrees to marry Lee (Will Poulter) once she has met his brother Julius (Jacob Elordi), whom she is inexplicably drawn to. On Christmas Eve, the three map out plans of a future together. But a free spirit at heart, Julius doesn’t seem to have it in him to be tamed. While he embarks on a solo adventure to Las Vegas, Muriel engages in secret acts of rebellion, such as betting on horses and exploring her attraction to women.
It marks the first excursion into cinema for filmmaker Daniel Minahan, previously known for directing episodes on series such as Fellow Travellers, Hollywood and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. In these, Minahan has demonstrated a talent for layering his actors’ performances with subtextual tension and emotional leakage: facial expressions and body language communicating things that defy verbalisation. It presents itself again in On Swift Horses, despite the occasional bits of expositional dialogue distracting from the effect. Those given the lion’s share of screen time get enough variety in their scenes to showcase their abilities; unfortunately, Diego Calva draws the short end of the stick here. After such a long wait to see him back on the big screen after his knockout debut in Babylon, it is frustrating to see his character weighed down with clunky speech, as he tries to persuade Julius to hustle casinos.
In its depiction of the relationship between the two men, the feature occasionally staggers to find a steady tempo and might have fared better holding its titular horses. One could speculate that if the film had let their longing build more gradually, the moment they finally unite would have felt more rewarding, and the pacing could have evolved intuitively. But faithful to its characters, the final product struggles with the art of delayed gratification.
Despite these hiccups, there is much to marvel at: in a brief montage of Julius and Henry working on strategy, the viewer is given a taste of their chemistry and their theme, Song for Henry, composed by Loren Kramar, quietly tugs at the heartstrings.
In its mosaic structure of interlaced narratives, the picture fares best with Muriel’s storyline, as therein, the script taps into the age-old conundrum of a woman chafing against the constraints imposed on her by society, yet steers clear of overused clichés. Rather than through overt moralising, her boundaries are conveyed implicitly, for instance, the way she hides her cigarettes, even though she is surrounded by men who all smoke. In a particularly clever turn of hands, the feature uses Lee’s desire to build a traditional family as an antagonistic force without judging it or vilifying him because of it. Not since her claim to fame in Normal People has Edgar-Jones shone so brightly, and her luminescent portrayal of this maverick heroine is what elevates the movie.
On Swift Horses stands as a heartfelt tribute to the queer community: delving into the complexities of identity with sensitivity, celebrating the fluidity of yearning and honouring the bonds and solidarity that flourish within it.
Selina Sondermann
On Swift Horses is released nationwide on 5th September 2025.
Watch the trailer for On Swift Horses here:
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