Sundance standout ‘Ponyboi’ has cowboy Murray Bartlett, sleazy Dylan O’Brien & a star-making River Gallo

Queer crime thriller Ponyboi has been on our radar since we first caught a glimpse of co-star Dylan O’Brien sporting a buzzcut and bulging biceps on the set of the film way back in late 2022.

So, when it was announced as part of the 2024 Sundance lineup—the legendary film festival’s landmark 40th edition—it immediately shot to the top of our most-anticipated list and became a priority to check out during our week in Park City, Utah for the fest.

Whatever movie convinced O’Brien to have the good sense to look like this, we knew we had to see it.

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And now that the film has premiered this past Saturday, we’re thrilled to share that Ponyboi does not disappoint, and not just because O’Brien looks great in it (which, he definitely does—but he’s pretty terrifying, too!)

Adapted from the 2019 short film of the same name, Ponyboi is written by and stars River Gallo (who was previously seen in the fantastic documentary Every Body), making history as the first out intersex person to play an intersex character in a starring feature film role.

Related:

Bodybuilders, ponybois & freaky tales: The most anticipated queer movies premiering at Sundance 2024 & how to stream them

This year’s eclectic, super-queer Sundance lineup features LGBTQ+ talent like Justice Smith, Kristen Stewart, River Gallo, and John Early.

Set over the course of one eventful Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, the Esteban Arango-directed film introduces us to Ponyboi (Gallo), an intersex runaway who works at a laundromat with their pregnant best friend Angel (The Haunting Of Hill House‘s Victoria Pedretti) and hustles on the side under the control of Angel’s baby daddy Vinny (O’Brien).

Angel seems to be aware that Vinny is an amateur drug kingpin, but what she doesn’t know is that he and Ponyboi have been sleeping together on the regular. And when one of Ponyboi’s clients suddenly dies from Vinny’s shoddy product, the three of them get caught up in a dangerous cat-and-mouse chase with the local mafia.

Many of the plot points of this neon-soaked drama are right out of mob movie playbook: Shady figures, suitcases full of money, smoking guns, shifting allegiances, tense showdowns, and all. But where Ponyboi really shines is in the specificity of its characters and the committed performances from its talented cast.

Pedretti is fantastic as your classic “Jersey girl with a heart of gold,” while never letting Angel veer into stereotype. And O’Brien really showcases his range here, equally funny, pitiable, and terrifying. It’s a bold role (featuring a couple of nearly-nude scenes)—and he clearly relished the opportunity to play such an against-type character. Not to mention, in press interviews for the film, O’Brien has shown himself to be a total ally, speaking on why it’s important for him to support this film and the queer community in general.

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But he’s not the only hunk in town: None other than Murray Bartlett struts into frame as Bruce, a westward-bound cowboy who just might be Ponyboi’s dream man—in more ways than one. Fair warning: Barlett sings a couple lines of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” in this, so be prepared to fall even more in love.

And then there’s the great Indya Moore (Pose), playing Charlie, a woman from Ponyboi’s past. Though she’s only in the film for about a scene in a half, she’s a knockout, looking glamorous as hell and bringing the story’s deeper themes into focus.

Which brings us all back to Gallo. After appearing in a number of shorts over the past decade and a memorable episode of Love, Victor, this role represents the actor’s biggest chance to shine yet—and shine they do, making Ponyboi fierce, funny, and someone you can’t help but root for. This is a true star turn for Gallo, and if there’s any justice in Hollywood, it’ll be far from their last.

Gallo is clearly bringing a lot of themself to this story, one that brilliantly uses its alluring genre trappings as a hook to ultimately tell a moving story about queerness and identity. And thanks to the starry supporting cast, one can imagine a film like Ponyboi appealing to a wide audience—an especially exciting concept considering just how groundbreaking this film is for the intersex community.

Related:

River Gallo brings intersex issues to mainstream consciousness with film “Ponyboi”

River Gallo’s 2019 short film Ponyboi, which he has called “the first film created by and starring an out intersex person in the history of cinema,” follows the story of a Latinx intersex runaway.

It’s definitely the queer thrill ride we’ve been waiting for. And, given the warm reception at Sundance, we hope it’s only a matter of time before Ponyboi gets picked up by a distributor, and comes to a movie theater (or streaming platform) near you.

In the meantime, there are still tickets available to stream the film via Sundance’s virtual platform form January 25-28, so don’t miss you chance to get on the Ponyboi hype train early!