On Swift Horses, which had its premiere at theToronto International Film Festivalon September 7, is an exploration of two repressed individuals set against the backdrop of 1950s America. Based on Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel of the same name, the movie follows Muriel and Lee as they move from Kansas to San Diego to start their newlywed life together. While their future seems set, Lee’s brother Julius feels aimless upon his return from the Korean War, leading him to work at a casino in Las Vegas.
Muriel (Twistersstar Daisy Edgar-Jones) is not as sold on her life as one might think, however, and she finds herself admiring Julius (Jacob Elordi) as they parallel each other in more ways than anyone expects. They are each hiding from Lee (Will Poulter) their true selves, but their relationships with Henry (Diego Calva) and Sandra (The Flash’s Sasha Calle) respectively give them away.
On Swift Horses Review: Jacob Elordi & Daisy Edgar-Jones Sizzle In Elegant Drama
On Swift Horses is a quietly devastating movie that transcends some issues to become an affecting queer drama about desire in 1950s America.
Screen Rantinterviewed cinematographer Luc Montpellier (ASC, CSC) about his approach toOn Swift Horses, collaboration with director Daniel Minahan, and how some scenes with Daisy Edgar-Jones andJacob Elordichanged on the day thanks to the naturalistic acting and storyboarding.
On Swift Horses Cinematographer Explains How He Framed The Story As Authentically As Possible
“What’s beautiful about that is that you’re left to distill the story.”
Screen Rant:On Swift Horsesnot only explores a specific time period in the 1950s, but also the lives of characters with very specific experiences in that time period. How did you prepare to explore that authentically?
Luc Montpellier: Very good question. I would start by saying very delicately. You bring up some major points that Dan had talked to me about early in the film; about not romanticizing the ’50s so that you feel disconnected. If you were living in the ’50s, this is how it would feel to not be able to express yourself. I think that, at the core of the film, is really important because you can easily be distanced from it.
As far as the cinematography was concerned, it’s more of a challenge because it’s so much easier to ask, “How do we remember the ’50s?” It’s an old photograph that’s degraded, but we wanted to go in quite the opposite direction. You still needed to represent the period because the culture and society has a very specific repression to it. You couldn’t romanticize it, so my goal was to have documentary photography of the time as a big influence because they’re basically slices of life.
Gordon Parks was a big influence that way, where his photography was immediate and very emotional. We used a lot of photography and fine art references because what’s beautiful about that is that you’re left to distill the story. How do you do that in a film?
The film is so quiet. A lot of these feelings inside happen without words just in a glance between Jacob and Daisy’s characters, so that’s a mandate of how the cinematography needs to be. It needs to be there at the right time, but not be too imposing. I was quite nervous about how you strike that balance. I hope the audience really goes along there with us and is able to be there with our characters. I think it’s really important to connect today’s young people with that time before we had language to describe what they were feeling.
Screen Rant: Daniel Minahan has directed some amazing television,fromSix Feet UndertoGame of Thronesand beyond. What did he bring to this feature film that most surprised or excited you?
Luc Montpellier: What really surprised me is his willingness to distill ideas he has and to workshop things. I’ve heard Jacob speak about how, instead of having an audition, there was workshop of swing dancing.
This is what I noticed and what I love, this idea of not letting the process of making a film with so many people take you away from the core feelings you’re trying to create. He had a very curious way, and you wanted to know as much how I wanted to work based on what I had done. It was a true collaboration that way, but he still was able to really guide us in a very precise, but sometimes abstract ways and say, “How do we fill this in? How do we do it?” He was always asking questions.
At the end of the day, it’s not about being LGBTQ. It’s about people not being able to live their true lives, and that was the mandate. How do we show that and connect with them? It’s just a feeling had, but I thought we got along very well that way.
The Strength Of On Swift Horses Lies In Its Character Work
“I felt like a supporting actor in that whole thing. That’s how I would describe it.”
Screen Rant: You’ve mentioned how the story is very internal. How do you decide the camera movement for each character and what does your choice of framing say about them?
Luc Montpellier: That’s a very good question. You’re pretty much describing my entire prep process with the director, whether it’s lighting or tone. I’ve been asked, “How have you translated the book? Did you read it?” For this film, Dan said, “I prefer you don’t.” I really heavily relied on Dan and the producers, who I had gravitated towards as my conduit.
At the start, it was trying not to be obsessed with adapting and instead getting to the core of a personal story. That’s what Dan did for me. He personalized this story because it’s quite close to him, living as a gay man, and it was important for me to be listening. I just listened to Dan and went through the script. Every scene had to be felt rather than just understood.
I know it sounds out there, but I tried to let my internal feelings about where it should be and what tone it should be that guide me. It was really about trying to get into what these characters are going through at every moment in the film, and trying to put myself in their shoes. It was hard, and I needed to do my homework, whether it was outlining a subtext between Daisy and Jacob’s characters or highlighting a certain look. Blocking became a very big thing, and sometimes it would shift because you have an idea of what scenes are about, but then you do a blocking on set in the morning. It’s like you almost have to be willing to throw everything away and just trust your instincts.
Screen Rant: That’s exactly what I was going to ask you. How much changes on the day?
Luc Montpellier: Sometimes you just don’t know the process that they create with each other, so everything was drawn from performance. I know it’s been said before, but the camera is very much like a third person on the scene. That’s how I see the camera, so really it was through instinct.
A lot of that started with the discussions with Dan because I couldn’t just figure it out on the day. Dan workshops a lot with actors, so by the time they arrived on set, I felt all of that and my work with him. It’s no different than an actor deciding to look at each other; the camera needed to be there in the same way. It’s hard to pinpoint because every moment changes, but it was through instinct. I needed to create the world that way, and I felt like a supporting actor in that whole thing. That’s how I would describe it.
Screen Rant: There are quite a few intimate scenes throughout the film. What is your approach to capturing these moments and making sure they serve both story and character?
Luc Montpellier: Sometimes it’s deciding when not to plan it out. You have this American dream that everyone has an idea about, so you had to represent that in its true grandeur. You’re seeing people living their true selves behind closed doors all the time. As Diego’s character says in the hotel room, “Cheating together is the only thing we can do in plain sight.” To me, that really resonated.
In those moments, we made the conscious decision to not shot list. Everyone needed to be in the moment, and we knew it was morning in the story. They’re on a roll, whether they’re dancing around together and throwing money on each other. It was very naturalistic, so we just stepped back and saw what happened. Our operators were in a dance with the actors, and we didn’t plan that. All we knew was the scenario, and I think if we had been too prescriptive with that, it would feel more clinical.
As you can imagine, shot listing and storyboarding were very important in those big moments. We all had this idea about what people think of the American dream? Let’s attempt to present it so that, when we go to those intimate moments, you’re like, “Hold on a second, we never talk about this.”
How On Swift Horses Captures And Dismantles The 1950s American Dream
“It’s an extension of the American dream of Vegas, which was very artificial.”
Screen Rant: Speaking of the American dream, we get to see the early days of Las Vegas, as well as San Diego and Kansas. Did you have an affinity for one particular location, or was there one that was the most challenging to set up?
Luc Montpellier: Vegas was the most challenging because it had a very specific look and feel in that period. Obviously, we couldn’t create the entire city, so we had to be very clever through the wonderful help of our production designer to literally design the frames. That’s where we put all our resources. But again, that juxtaposition is about living in this way at that time and dealing with the artifice of it all. It’s an extension of the American dream of Vegas, which was very artificial. Everything is fake, and having these characters within that was excellent to be able to collide those things. But to me, Vegas in the fifties was the most challenging.
That’s why Dan had this great idea to insinuate the world outside with reflections. He literally was able to paint these images with Jacob in the phone booth. We literally just put these chasing lights outside for the casino, and the extended world was reflected. That means it’s abstract enough that you’re in the moment, but I love that movie artistry and that magic. You don’t need to see the cars going by that are period. We always tried to base it on that pocket of reality that was period accurate to be able to put you in the place.
It’s funny how you try to distill the essence of these places in the time period, very much in contrast with suburbia. It was important not to romanticize Vegas and all of that, because you needed to feel like this is a pretty restrictive society at this time. But Vegas was still probably the most fun because you also had so many more elements you could play with. We talked a lot about lights, and Dan found this amazing stock footage that seamlessly cut into our film for the horse racing too. The track we shot at was the same as Sea Biscuit, I believe, but treated in a very different way. And the extras you see in the stands, if you pan the camera left five degrees or not, there’s nobody there. It’s not a studio film, so we had to really be selective.
Screen Rant: Despite it not being a studio film, you have 50% of the next generation of great actors in the movie. Was there a moment on set when you’re really like, “You know what? I’m watching tomorrow’s Leo DiCaprio.”
Luc Montpellier: Absolutely, that was a huge deal for me. But I would even distill it down to watching raw, amazing talent. That’s not just a buzzword for me. You were there, watching what Jacob and Daisy were doing with their characters. And what I loved about it was that nobody was there as a movie star. Everyone was there in service of the story.
I saw a clip of Will Poulet talking about walking in and seeing scenes lit a certain way in the sets. “How did that impact your performance?” I think that’s a perfect question for me. I’m feeding off them, and it was great to actually hear him talk about how he was impacted. I tried not to have any lights on the floor so that when you walked into a space, you didn’t feel like you were making a film. It was all lit from windows. Those were all conscious decisions on top of just making it feel honest and real. They’re able to go to places you may not have expected because of that.
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On Swift Horsespremiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 and is currently seeking distribution.
On Swift Horses
Cast
On Swift Horses is a historical drama set in the 1950s, where a young woman delves into the burgeoning gambling scene of San Diego to track down her missing brother-in-law, uncovering secrets and the dark underbelly of post-war America in the process.
