Director Daniel Minahan and screenwriter Bryce Kass bring Shannon Pufahl’s novel to life in 2019. on swift horsewhich premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7. It takes place in the 1950s but follows the characters who do not quite fit into the stereotype of the so-called “American dream.” Newlyweds Muriel (played by Twisters Star Daisy-Edgar Jones) and Lee left Kansas for San Diego in order to start a family and plan for the future, while Lee’s brother Julius has no plans for his future upon his return from the Korean War.
While doing pit surveillance at a casino in Las Vegas, Julius (played by Euphorias James Allordi) strikes up a correspondence with Muriel, and they both find their lives on parallel paths. No one is satisfied with the course that has been laid for them, as evidenced by their attraction to each other and the bonds they have formed with Henry (Diego Calva) and Sandra (Sasha Kale) respectively.
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Screen Rant Interviewed several stars and the director of on swift horse On the TIFF 2024 red carpet, where the team broke down the many romantic and emotional angles of the new movie. Minhan compared his film work to his previous project Fellow travelers While Poulter, Calva and Kale provided insight into each character and their nuanced interpersonal connections.
Will Poulter explains the complicated love story of Swift Horses
“I think that makes it heartbreaking and simultaneously heartwarming.”
Screen Rant: Daniel described Lee as the character everyone is hiding from, and yet the one who knows everything. How would you describe his dynamic with Muriel and Julius?
Will Poulter: Yeah, it’s interesting. I think that one of the things that Lee contends with is the idea that his hope for himself is predicated on other people being willing to make certain sacrifices to fit his idea of ​​what the American dream is. And it’s not necessarily as inclusive or as progressive as it could be, but I think ultimately he wants everyone he loves to be happy.
It’s a difficult balancing act in my relationship to Daisy Edgar-Jones’ character, Muriel, my wife. There is a lot of love there, but there is also an understanding that we are fundamentally different. I think that makes it heartbreaking and simultaneously heartwarming, and speaks to the reality of the film, which is ultimately hopeful.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
On Swift Horse star Sasha Kale praises Daisy Edgar-Jones’ camaraderie on set
“She made sure to hold my hand and make sure I was okay.”
Screen Rant: What can you tell me about the dynamic between Muriel and Sandra, and your dynamic with Daisy Edgar-Jones on set?
Sasha Kale: Daisy is so lovely. She is an incredible leader. It was incredible working with her, and there were moments when I think I was treading lightly and she made sure to hold my hand and make sure I was okay. I really appreciated that.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Diego Calva shares the favorite scene on swift horse he shares with James Elordi
Henry and Julius’ first scene is “more like love at first sight” than just sexual tension.
Screen Rant: How would you describe the romance between Henry and Julius, and was there a moment with Jacob Elordi where it clicked?
Diego Calva: I think it’s the first scene when they met. When they meet, it is really special because it is really casual, but it is loaded with not only sexual tension, but more than love at first sight.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
On Swift Horses director Daniel Minahan compares new movie to fellow travelers
“It’s about people hiding. It’s about people finding love, and I think everyone can relate to that.”
Screen Rant: You had great success with Fellow travelers Last year, and on swift horse Also incidentally follows LGBTQ characters in the 1950s. What unique approach did you take this time around?
Daniel Minahan: It is not difficult to differentiate Swift Horse from fellow travelers. On Swift Horses is a different paradigm that is about the people who are trying to find themselves. It’s about people hiding. It’s about people finding love, and I think everyone can relate to that.
The antagonist in this is Muriel’s husband, who is actually the nicest guy and wants the best for everyone. His secret, if everyone has a secret in this film, is that he knows everyone’s secret and just wants to make a family. In a way, it kind of described Muriel and the strange experience of how you become yourself and still have a family. And I think it does that really well.
Screen Rant: The cast is stacked, but did you have a moment on set that really crystallized for you how stellar the casting really is?
Daniel Minahan: There were so many moments when it really clicked set. I have to say, Muriel at the racetrack and everything that happens to her when she meets people and goes exploring and gambling is one. Julius and Henry find themselves in the strange catwalk where they are surveilling, and they fall in love. There were so many magical moments with this cast. It was very exciting.
Screen Rant: You’ve had a storied career in directing, from Six feet under to Game of Thrones And further. What is your North Star when it comes to executing a directorial vision?
Daniel Minahan: I would have to say that the north star of my work has always gone to the strongest writers, especially in series. That was really important to me. I’ve always been drawn to serious writers and people who did the kind of work I was interested in, because the writing is everything.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
More about Daniel Minahan’s On Swift Horses (2024)
It’s the 1950s. Newlyweds Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) leave their Kansas home for a new life in San Diego, with steady jobs and a house in which to start a family. Lee’s brother Julius (Jacob Elordi, also at the festival in OH, Canada), meanwhile, returns from the Korean War without any long-term plans.
A fictitious hand at poker, he winds up in Las Vegas, where he does grave surveillance at a casino and befriends Henry (Diego Calva, TIFF ’15’s Te prometo anarquÃa), a handsome Chicano who, like Julius, loves a good gamble. All the while, Muriel and Julius correspond, although not realizing how much they have in common. Bored with waiting tables, Muriel begins to secretly play the horses – and win. What’s more, Muriel and Julius find themselves on parallel journeys with secret transgressions that could put them in greater danger than either of them.
Check out our others TIFF 2024 Interview here: