Introduction
On Swift Horses is a romantic drama Minahan creates out of the 2019 novel by Shannon Pufahl. It is set in America after the Korean War and features a remarkable cast of Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poult, Diego Calva, and Sasha Calle.
On Swift Horses captures two people bonded by marriage but deeply affected by the changing emotional and rigid 1950 sociopolitical environment around them. The film captures a deeper narrative that unfolds during the marriage. It captures the 1950s American society that the two individuals inhabited. It is set to première in international film festivals in 2025.
Plot Overview
In the first part of the film, we meet a young woman, Muriel Walker, who is married to a Korean War veteran who goes by the name Lee. The two are now set to live in Kansas but adopted the new start in San Diego after the war. With Lee’s brother Julius coming back from war, the household is bound to become emotional.
Muriel is unhappy with her new home and quite introspective. Julius, who is a restless former soldier, has never-ending emotional scars and secrets. These two characters, instead of being brought together, silently bond on a deeper emotional and spiritual level. Rather than directly courting Muriel, Julius, who has an urge for chaos, gambling, and freedom, chooses to visit Las Vegas.
On the other hand, Muriel is fighting her own battles. She starts betting on horse races, viewing gambling winnings as a means of gaining control over her life. At the same time, she becomes intrigued with her neighbor, Sandra, forming a romantic bond with her. Even though their relationship is understated, it showcases Muriel’s growing awareness of her sexual, emotional, and intellectual wants.
Upon arrival, Julius works as a casino security guard where he meets Henry. Gentle and of sound principles, Henry provides Julius with love and stability, something he has never had. Even set in a time when same-sex couples often had to hide their relationship, their bond is emotional and filled with warmth.
The movie captures the emotional journeys of Muriel and Julius as they travel within themselves. They are connected by letters through time and distance. Muriel writes letters to Julius expressing her dreams and fears while he responds back cryptically. They are not lovers, yet their parallel lives are intertwined and they both are longing to escape the confines of societal norms.
Characters and Performances
Muriel Walker (Daisy Edgar-Jones)
Muriel, like many women of her generation, is a victim to the constricting conventions of society. On the one hand, her marriage to Lee provides her with the superficial security of a husband. On the other hand, it lacks the romance and thriving passion that a successful marriage requires. Edgar-Jones as Muriel gives a quiet yet multi-layered performance portraying emotional awakening through delicate gestures and longing.
Julius Walker (Jacob Elordi)
Julius is a charming drifter who is a shell of himself thanks to the war and personal turmoil he faces. Elordi’s performance is both intense and subtle, expressing vulnerability and some kind of doomed charm. His chemistry with Diego Calva’s Henry is magnetic, providing a glimpse of warmth amidst the chilly loneliness that otherwise fills their world.
Lee Walker (Will Poulter)
Lee embodies the typical breadwinner of the 1950s—a steady, industrious, and emotionally distant man. Poulter portrays the part of a man complying with social standards, in this case, a breadwinner, while completely oblivious to his wife’s internal conflicts and his brother’s secret life.
Henry (Diego Calva)
Henry’s character embodies a glimpse of a possible acceptance and love with which to embrace Julius. Calva’s portrayal is sensitive and grounded, and he serves as the emotional anchor to Elordi’s restless Julius. Their interactions rank among those in the film that pack the heaviest emotional impact.
Sandra (Sasha Calle)
While smaller in scope, her role as Sandra contributes significantly to Muriel’s journey toward self-realization. Calle brings warmth and quiet confidence to the role, which makes their connection believable and impactful.
Themes and Symbolism
- Longing and Repression
At the center of On Swift Horses, the journey to reclaim a life that is romantically not achievable in the modern world, is the main theme. Both San and Muriel along with Julius grapple with the standards placed upon them by society. Muriel is expected to be a postwar America housewife while Julius is burdened by domesticity and the expectation of masculine duties.
- Expression of Queerness in a Conservatively Restrained Period
The film addresses the enigma of queer expression during oppressive periods. Both Muriel and Julius lead parallel lives of emotional and sexual awakening, manifesting in divergent forms of escapism. They embrace gambling, forbidden love, and other means of dissatisfaction.
- Gambling as a Metaphor of Bet
Muriel’s personal life is as chaotic as her obsession with betting on horse races. Both themes collide in insurgent forms of escapism. Julius’s immersion in Las Vegas culture underscores the theme of gambling for love, identity, and even authenticity, which speaks to the essence of existing in a Las Vegas bubble.
- Individual Freedom is Society’s Nightmare
Representing the postwar ideal, Lee’s character showcased settling down to building a home and working hard. In juxtaposition, Muriel and Julius represent those choose to elope from society’s rigid norms. At the center of the film lies the complex notion of the American Dream, reframed as a vicious bargain of inauthentic life and unmasked identity.
Cinematic Style and Direction
With a blend of poetic and reserved visuals, Director Daniel Minahan embeds self-restraint in emotional expression. Utilization of wide-open spaces in the cinematography, such as racetracks, highways, and deserts, reflect the characters’ emotional emptiness and isolation. Along with slow pacing intertwined with quiet, lingering visuals, evocative silence is elicited.
Letters serve as a narrative device to fuse the distance between Julius and Muriel, and divulging to the audience parts of their lives. The score takes a back seat to the scenes, keeping to the feeling of the moment. Gambling scenes possess a dreamlike quality and intimacy instead of the expected thrill.
Reception and Criticism
Critics especially focused on the emotional performances of Edgar-Jones and Elordi, praising the film’s emotional performances. The emotional interplay between the characters appears to be both heartbreakingly real and moving. The slower, more controlled pace of the film and the climax was a point of contention for some critics.
For some audience members, the silence within the film was too much, with silence surrounding some major moments. However, the silence also appealed to a different audience as it was seen as a way to achieve a more personal and emotional interpretation.
Regardless of the differing opinions, On Swift Horses was praised for the subtle and unexaggerated manner in which a queer narrative was woven into a historical background. The film was especially praised on the festival circuit for its performances and for examining identity within a repressive society.
Conclusion
On Swift Horses differs from standard romances and period dramas. It is a film that deeply meditates on the lives of people on the periphery of existence. They are living, yearning, and searching for something elusive. It’s a film that meditates on the deeply rooted courage it takes to live truthfully. Swift Horses is packed with amazing performances and subtle direction. It also explores tumultuous love, the grace of existence, and the intersections of identity and freedom. The film reveals the pain of truth and the burden of love reducing life to instinct.
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