After his star turn in Saltburn, Jacob Elordi isn’t done with the heady queer-coded dramas – he and Babylon’s Diego Calva’s steamy romance is at the heart of the upcoming film On Swift Horses, which also stars Daisy Edgar-Jones.
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday (7 September) and has received lots of buzz following the screening, largely due to the film’s “dreamlike” queer sex scenes.
The film is directed by Daniel Minahan, best known for his directorial work on Game of Thrones and Fellow Travelers, with the screenplay from Lizzie writer Bryce Kass.
Who is in On Swift Horses?
Euphoria’s Elordi plays Julius, a Korean War veteran turned gambler.
Opposite him, Bird Box Barcelona’s Calva plays the casino worker Henry who strikes up a turbulent relationship with Julius.
Julius’ brother, Lee, is depicted by We’re The Millers’ Will Poulter.
Lee is married to Muriel, who is brought to life by Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Rounding out the cast is The Flash‘s Sasha Calle and Don Swayze, the younger brother of brother Patrick Swayze, who has starred in American Horror Story.
(L-R) Diego Calva, Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Daniel Minahan, Sasha Calle and Will Poulter of On Swift Horses. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty)
What is On Swift Horses about?
Based on the 2019 book of the same name by Shannon Pufahl, On Swift Horses follows the heady, queer desires of Julius (Elordi) and his sister-in-law, Muriel (Edgar-Jones).
The LGBTQ+ drama is set in the 1950s, a time when queer impulses could lead to their lives being devastated.
Muriel and Lee are married, while all along she pines for Lee’s charismatic younger brother, Julius.
The pair are awash with complicated feelings, as they find other lovers they stay in touch behind Lee’s back.
Is On Swift Horses a queer drama? (Robin Marchant/Getty)
How is On Swift Horses a queer film?
On Swift Horses is set to feature explicit love scenes, some of which are queer in nature.
While the character Lee wants to settle down with his wife and brother in California, Julius grows addicted to Las Vegas’ casinos and grows close to his co-worker Henry.
The pair engage in a steamy sexual affair, their personal and progressional lives colliding as their desires come up against the poker business.
Meanwhile, Muriel embarks on a secret life in San Diego, gambling on racehorses and falling for her neighbour Sandra, who is openly a lesbian.
Although she longs for Sandra’s company, longing for a same-sex relationship while being newly married in the 1950s was perilous.
Following On Swift Horses, Minahan said he was drawn to the story because it offered “a re-imagining of the American dream, except through a queer lens.
“[Pufahl] made a story about people who were hiding themselves, people who were watching, people who were exploring and trying to find themselves, and they end up connecting,” the filmmaker said.
“It’s not a tragic ending to this story. It ends on a note of hope, and that was important to us all along.”
Early reviews of On Swift Horses are mixed. (Tracey Biel/Getty)
What are reviews of On Swift Horses saying?
Early reviews of On Swift Horses are mixed, with some praising the film for its romanticism, while others are criticising the numerous plot lines “busying” the film.
“On Swift Horses is the kind of big, sweeping romantic drama that Hollywood just doesn’t make anymore,” Deadline’s review reads.
“Elordi gives his best performance yet as Julius, showing his more sensitive, vulnerable side on the big screen for perhaps the first time.
“His love scenes with Calva are tender and exciting, the men exploring each other’s bodies in a dreamlike motel room.”
The BBC’s review is more critical, writing: “Muriel and Julius’s gambling, the emotional love triangle, the hidden gay lives – any one of them might have had enough drama for a film. Together they are a pile-up of too many problems.”
When is On Swift Horses released?
Currently, there is no confirmed released date for On Swift Horses.
Also, there isn’t yet a trailer for the film.
We will be sure to keep you updated when a release date and trailer drops.
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