Ponyboi is a 2024 American thriller directed by Esteban Arango, from a screenplay by River Gallo. It is based upon the 2019 short film of the same name by Gallo. It stars Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore.
| Ponyboi | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Esteban Arango |
| Written by | River Gallo |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ed Wu |
| Edited by | Hanna Park |
| Music by | Cristobal Tapia de Veer |
Production companies | |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.
Premise
editOn Valentine's Day, in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker is working at a laundromat with his pregnant best friend, Angel. He spends his nights with his secret lover and pimp, and the father of Angel's child, Vinnie. However, when a drug deal goes bad, he finds himself on the run from the mob.[3][4]
Cast
edit- River Gallo as Ponyboi
- Dylan O'Brien as Vinnie
- Victoria Pedretti as Angel
- Murray Bartlett as Bruce
- Indya Moore as Charlie
- Denis Lambert
- Stephen Moscatello
- Aphrodite Armstrong
- Keith William Richards as Two-Tone
Production
editIn December 2022, it was announced River Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, and Indya Moore had joined the cast of the film, with Esteban Arango directing from a screenplay by Gallo.[5]
Principal photography concluded by December 2022.[6]
Release
editIt had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.[7]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[8] The film was positively reviewed in The Hollywood Reporter, which wrote that Gallo's screenplay "achieves something still rare in an industry unnecessarily confused about inclusion: Ponyboi seamlessly integrates its character’s challenges with identity into a propulsive story about a sex worker on the run."[9] Collider wrote that the film was "cinematic gold" that "would be nothing without River Gallo's performance".[10]Variety gave a more critical review, praising Gallo's acting but criticizing the writing as predictable and too reliant on clichés.[11]
References
edit- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 19, 2024). "Fox's MarVista Launches Tideline Entertainment; First Movie Under New Label Is Dylan O'Brien Sex-Worker Mob Tale 'Ponyboi' – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Ponyboi". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (January 20, 2024). "River Gallo Is Ready to Conquer Sundance With Bold Intersex Crime Drama 'Ponyboi'". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Sultana, Rashad (May 16, 2019). "River Gallo brings intersex issues to mainstream consciousness with film "Ponyboi"". Queerty. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (December 1, 2022). "'Ponyboi' First Look: Dylan O'Brien and Victoria Pedretti Lead Queer Sex Worker Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ McDaniel, Caitlynn (December 13, 2022). "See What Queer Film Dylan O'Brien Will Star in Next". Gayety. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Ponyboi". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 26, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: River Gallo and Dylan O'Brien Star in a Sexy, Sweaty New Jersey Fever Dream". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Lacson, Therese (January 30, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: Dylan O'Brien? No, This Is River Gallo's Show". Collider. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (January 26, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: Intersex Star River Gallo Can't Be Fenced In, Even by Clichés of Their Own Making". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
