# On Swift Horses
**On Swift Horses** is a 2024 American romantic drama directed by Daniel Minahan, adapted by Bryce Kass from Shannon Pufahl's 2019 novel of the same name. Set in 1950s California, it follows newlywed Muriel and her wayward brother-in-law Julius on parallel journeys of gambling, queer love, and self-discovery after Muriel's husband Lee returns from the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war).[1](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Daniel Minahan, whose feature directorial debut was *Series 7: The Contenders* (2001), and whose television career includes *Six Feet Under*, *Deadwood*, *Game of Thrones*, and *Fellow Travelers*[1](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie) • [10](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/daniel-minahan-fellow-travelers-profile-awards-insider) |
| Source | Adapted from Shannon Pufahl's debut novel *On Swift Horses* (Riverhead, first published November 5, 2019, 320 pages)[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0) • [3](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55271287-on-swift-horses) |
| Cast | Daisy Edgar-Jones (Muriel), Jacob Elordi (Julius), Will Poulter (Lee), Diego Calva (Henry), Sasha Calle (Sandra)[4](https://www.wavelengthproductions.com/films/on-swift-horses) • [5](https://glarchive.net/series/on-swift-horses/) |
| Release | Limited theatrical release April 25, 2025 by Sony Pictures Classics; digital release May 27, 2025[6](https://moviefilm.biz/mf/on-swift-horses/) |
| Rating | MPAA R for sexual content, nudity and some language; runtime reported as 117 minutes[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/on-swift-horses) |
| Festivals | Premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival; screened at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival[1](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie) |
| Awards | Sasha Calle won the 2025 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress; Diego Calva was nominated for Best Supporting Actor; the film was a 2026 GLAAD Media Award nominee for Outstanding Film, Wide Release[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15042300/awards/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Muriel and her husband Lee are beginning a new life in California when he returns from the Korean War. Their stability is upended by the arrival of Lee's charismatic brother Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past, and a love triangle forms. As Julius leaves to chase the young card sharp he has become infatuated with, Muriel's yearning for a bigger existence drives her to lead a hidden life of her own, betting on horses and discovering a romance she had never imagined could be hers.[4](https://www.wavelengthproductions.com/films/on-swift-horses)
In the film, Muriel overhears horse-racing tips at her waitressing job and secretly starts a winning streak at the track, hiding the money from Lee, while Julius lands in Las Vegas working casino surveillance and falls for his coworker Henry.[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0) Muriel also forms a connection with her unmarried, self-confident neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle).[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0)
## The source novel
Pufahl's novel, her debut, was first published on November 5, 2019 and runs 320 pages.[3](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55271287-on-swift-horses) It is set in 1956 in the American West and follows Muriel, a 21-year-old newlywed transplanted from rural Kansas to San Diego, and Julius, who works in a Las Vegas casino where tourists watch atomic tests from the roof and falls in love with Henry, a card cheat who is run out of town.[3](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55271287-on-swift-horses) The book was a Lambda Literary Award finalist in 2020 and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice.[3](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55271287-on-swift-horses)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Mollye Asher, Michael D'Alto, Tim Headington, Daniel Minahan, Theresa Steele Page, and Peter Spears, with production companies Cor Cordium, First Gen Content, Killer Films, Ley Line Entertainment, and [Wavelength](https://www.edgepedia.org/wavelength); [Sony Pictures Classics](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures-classics) distributed it in the United States and other international markets.[1](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie) [Daisy Edgar-Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/daisy-edgar-jones) and Jacob Elordi also served as executive producers.[4](https://www.wavelengthproductions.com/films/on-swift-horses)
After its Toronto premiere in 2024 and SXSW screening in 2025, it opened in limited US theaters on April 25, 2025 and reached digital platforms on May 27, 2025.[1](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie) • [6](https://moviefilm.biz/mf/on-swift-horses/) The British Board of Film Classification rated the cinema release 119 minutes and the home-entertainment version 114 minutes, with content advice noting strong sex, strong language, moderate violence, and references to historical homophobia and sexism.[9](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/on-swift-horses-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdmxotk2)
## Reception
Critics singled out Daisy Edgar-Jones's performance. Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press called her work brilliant but gave the film two stars out of four, finding the plot meandering and its symbols, including atomic bomb tests and a horse, heavy-handed.[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0) Common Sense Media placed it in the tradition of 1950s epics such as *From Here to Eternity* and *Giant*, calling it a bold queer romantic drama that tells a love story that could not have reached the screen in the era it depicts.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/on-swift-horses)
The film received recognition for its representation and craft: Sasha Calle won the 2025 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress and Diego Calva was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and the film earned nominations for a GLAAD Media Award (Outstanding Film, Wide Release), a Costume Designers Guild Award for Eduardo Lucero's costume illustration, and a Golden Trailer Award for Best Romance.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15042300/awards/)
## References
1. [On Swift Horses: release date, reviews, trailer, cast and everything we know, WhatToWatch](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/on-swift-horses-release-date-trailer-cast-and-everything-we-know-about-the-jacob-elordi-movie)
2. [Movie Review: 'On Swift Horses' is a fumbled queer tale set against atomic blasts, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7e668f0ae50a9e6f0744bdea8eb78ef0)
3. [On Swift Horses: A Novel by Shannon Pufahl, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55271287-on-swift-horses)
4. [On Swift Horses, Wavelength Productions](https://www.wavelengthproductions.com/films/on-swift-horses)
5. [On Swift Horses, GL Archive](https://glarchive.net/series/on-swift-horses/)
6. [On Swift Horses, MovieFilm.Biz](https://moviefilm.biz/mf/on-swift-horses/)
7. [On Swift Horses Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/on-swift-horses)
8. [On Swift Horses (2024) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15042300/awards/)
9. [On Swift Horses, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/on-swift-horses-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdmxotk2)
10. [Daniel Minahan’s Long Road to the Epic Gay Love Story of 'Fellow Travelers'](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/daniel-minahan-fellow-travelers-profile-awards-insider)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2025 › Romantic drama films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license