Ponyboi
| Ponyboi | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) | |
| 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 |
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.
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.
Premise
[edit]On 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 Vinnie, his secret lover and pimp who is also the father of Angel's child. 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
[edit]In 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
[edit]It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.[7]
Reception
[edit]On 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.
