Adapted from Shannon Pufahl's 2019 novel of the same name, On Swift Horses explores finding queer love and freedom in the 1950s, a time when being queer held far greater risks than now. Newlyweds Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) move to San Diego, where Muriel is waiting tables at a casino. She also meets Lee's gambling brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), who just returned from the war, and they discover they have more in common than they thought. Both engage in clandestine relationships that threaten their safety, eventually posing the question -- what is the cost of freedom? They are also joined by Diego Calva and Sasha Calle on-screen.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2024, and the director, Daniel Minahan, and cinematographer, Luc Montpellier, talk to Collider's Steve Weintraub about making a queer film that felt authentic and realistic, rather than romanticized. They also delve into the message they were trying to achieve with On Swift Horses, filming during Magic hour, how they approached intimate scenes and the meaning of the color blue.
6