The 1950s is an idealized time in American history. There was rampant optimism in an era that succeeded World War II. A booming economy and search for normalcy often mask a turbulent era of conformity and panic. On Swift Horses takes a grand look at this oft-romanticized era and intends to deconstruct it. In a time of idealism, two Americas existed: the glossy and hidden versions. This film examines the latter, attempting to show lives of duplicity and secrecy, particularly in an era of sexual taboos and blatant conformity. This highly stylized film is stunning, filled out by a tremendous cast, but it rings hollow, which is a shame because it has something to say but seemingly never finds the words to say it.
Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee (Will Poulter) 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 (Jacob Elordi), a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat, Herny (Diego Calva), he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring love she never dreamed possible.
On Swift Horses is a film that explores the complex lives of two people living in the 1950s. Julius and Muriel are yin and yang. Both live in secret with their sexuality in a time of predefined feminism and masculinity. The film works in riddles, as the characters never quite say what they mean and act on impulse. There is a longing for a sense of normalcy that is seemingly out of reach. Muriel and Julius’s stories mirror each other as they navigate their place in society. They offer hints that they are aware of each other’s sexuality but never speak fully of it. This inherent sadness exists between the characters and carries throughout the story.
The film is overly ambitious with multiple plotlines and interweaving stories. It excels in the casting, particularly that of Edgar-Jones and Elordi, who elevate this, at times, pedestrian drama. There is a striving effort to make this an examination of sexuality and America at large in the 1950s. The dynamic of gender roles and the intersection of both feminism and masculinity are on full display. The problem is that the film never goes beyond a surface-level exploration of these themes. As a result, the story feels like it is passing us by rather than immersing us in the intricacies and complexities of that era.
Elordi commits himself entirely to the role of Julius and crafts a tortured soul. He is the archetypal male of the era: tall, dark, and handsome. Yet, as Muriel describes him in a postcard, he is out of the place. In the world of cookie-cutter houses, maxed out by Leave It to Beaver and swaddled by Dwight Eisenhower, Julius is born too early and lives too late. His story overlaps with Muriel but, at times, feels like a separate movie altogether.
The same is true for Muriel. There is a dichotomy between her and Julius’s lives. Both live in secrecy, though there is a significant discrepancy. Julius can at least live a life while being on the edge, which is embodied by freedom. Muriel is the stereotypical and repressed housewife, who again lives in secret and can only imagine the kind of life Julius enjoys. Edgar-Jones gives a magnetic performance, and she leaves us in awe at her emotional magnetism.
There is genuine momentum when the film straddles the line between the two stories. Julius eventually travels to San Diego to live with Lee and Muriel after his luck runs out in Las Vegas. Julius is the film’s disruptor, propelling the narrative toward its ultimate conclusion. The problem is much of the drama plays out in vignettes.
The film becomes overwhelmed and, in turn, lost by the myriad of stories. Events happen but are never more than postcard writings. We segway back and forth between Muriel and Julius’s situations without much aforethought or reckoning. Both stories offer unique insight into American society during this time, but the challenge is the execution. We spend too little time and feel we’re looking at a snapshot instead of a striking portrait. The film adapts its story from the novel by Shannon Pufahl, so the narrative may be lost in translation.
The dynamic between Muriel and Lee (Will Poulter) is arguably the film’s strongest emotional beat. Their story takes the concept of American husband and wife, romanticized in film and television, and breathes fresh honesty. Lee exists as the film’s antagonist but falls short in giving him anything but cliche lines and manufactured motivations. The movie strives to present a complex examination of masculinity in crisis and frames this in both the stories of Julius and Lee. Lee’s relationship and marriage to Muriel are put under the microscope, particularly as the film wrestles with hidden homosexuality in the 50s. Again, the film pays lip service to these themes. The weight is too much, and there are too many storylines to commit fully to its ideas.
What each character wants is a question, but the movie arrives too late for a compelling answer. The balance of storylines presents too much of a challenge and leaves the audience jilted. On Swift Horses makes bold attempts to examine love and wanting. It has something to say, and there are glimpses of a unifying theme, but the weight of ambition proves too much for this story. The performances are enough to strike a powerful chord, but this ultimately plays the tune of missed potential.
On Swift Horses will debut exclusively in select theaters on April 25, 2025, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
On Swift Horses makes bold attempts to examine love and wanting. It has something to say, and there are glimpses of a unifying theme, but the weight of ambition proves too much for this story. The performances are enough to strike a powerful chord, but this ultimately plays the tune of missed potential.
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GVN Rating
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
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