Set in the 1950s, On Swift Horses opens with Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) trying to connect intimately with her future husband Lee (Will Poulter). In the next scene, Muriel looks out the window to find Lee’s shirtless brother Julius (Jacob Elordi), catching some sunrays on his car hood. At first, you might think to yourself, “Lee doesn’t stand a chance.” However, On Swift Horses doesn’t revolve around a love triangle, at least not between these three. As we soon learn, Muriel isn’t attracted to either or men in general. Likewise, Julius isn’t a ladies man, which isn’t news to Lee. He can’t seem to piece together why his bride-to-be is so withdrawn, however.
On Swift Horses isn’t the first movie to explore homosexuality during this period, but Julius and Muriel provide a unique parallel to explore. Unfortunately, the two don’t share many scenes together. After being discharged from the military, Julius starts fresh in Vegas. In Diego Calva’s Henry, Julius finds a romantic partner and a partner-in-crime, together cheating the casino they work at. While Muriel settles into the role of bored housewife, she catches the gambling bug at the racetracks. She hides most of her winnings from Lee, claiming the rest are from selling her mother’s house.
Muriel takes a love as well. Actually, make that lover(s). At the tracks, she flirts with Kat Cunning’s Gail, a trophy wife who isn’t satisfied at home. Muriel also enters an affair with her neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle). Of all the characters, Sandra is the most honest about who she is. This being the 1950s, Sandra understands that her community can only be so open, but she still resents the idea of being Muriel’s “secret.” While Muriel has chemistry with both women, Gail and Sandra come and go from the film with neither romance amounting to much.
Henry is given slightly more development with Calva turning in an especially strong supporting performance. On Swift Horses can never decide who its protagonist is, however. The film keeps shifting between Muriel and Julius, both of whom must maintain poker faces. Yet, it’s a missed opportunity that the two don’t interact more. Muriel and Julius can relate to what the other is going through, but it’s treated as an elephant in the room. Rather than build upon a potentially poignant dynamic, the film keeps Muriel and Julius apart for most of the nearly two-hour run time. As a result, On Swift Horses can feel like two movies stitched together, as if Carol had a crossover with Far From Heaven.
For all of its narrative shortcomings, the performances redeem On Swift Horses. Edgar-Jones continues to shine as one of our most versatile young performers while Elordi keeps challenging himself. Although Lee is a fairly thankless role on paper, Poulter brings a restrained sadness to the character. Between Death of a Unicorn, Warfare, and this, Poulter’s range remains largely underappreciated. The rest of the cast makes the most of their roles, as underwritten as they can be. There’s a provocative story in On Swift Horses waiting to be mined. Even if the screenplay doesn’t finish with flying colors, Edgar-Jones, Elordi, and Poulter deserve a triple crown.