New Queer Drama ‘On Swift Horses’ Promises High Stakes Gambling And Sapphic Love

The trailer for On Swift Horses has arrived, promising a stylish, emotionally charged tale of queer love and lust. Directed by Daniel Minahan and adapted from Shannon Pufahl’s novel of the same name, this 1950s-set drama is already earning critical praise at festivals.

The film introduces Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones), her husband Lee (Will Poulter), and his enigmatic brother Julius (Jacob Elordi). Muriel is drawn to Julius in a way she doesn’t quite understand—so much so that she marries Lee just to stay close to him. But as the trailer reveals, these family dynamics get even more complicated. When Julius disappears into the world of gambling and queer self-discovery, Muriel embarks on her own journey—one that leads her to a new, sapphic romance with her neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle) and an underground queer scene hidden in the shadows of mid-century America.

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Critics who caught early screenings of On Swift Horses have praised its lush cinematography and layered performances. Jourdain Searles of The Hollywood Reporter said it’s “beautiful, heartbreaking, and demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.” She noted Elordi’s standout performance, saying, “Elordi gives his best performance yet as Julius, showing his more sensitive, vulnerable side on the big screen for perhaps the first time.” Meanwhile, she described Edgar-Jones’ portrayal of Muriel as “understated but deeply affecting, letting us get to know her through subtle gestures and expressions.”

Christian Zilko of IndieWire awarded the film an A-, commending the script’s balance of “sentimentality and bitterness” while praising Minahan and cinematographer Luc Montpellier for capturing both “torrid sex scenes and Christmas Eve moonlight strolls with the elegance they deserve.”

You can catch On Swift Horses in theaters on April 25, but until then, here’s the trailer: