The Sundance Film Festival used to be all about discovering new voices, and while the competition sections now often feature higher-profile films, the A-list stars in them sometimes lead the behind-the-scenes talent to get a much-deserved spotlight. If there is any justice, River Gallo, the creative voice behind the provocative crime thriller Ponyboi, would be this year’s breakout. While it may be a bit overambitious and occasionally too conventional, Ponyboi is entertaining from start to finish, with great performances and an excellent understanding of its tried-and-true genre.
The movie follows an intersex sex worker whose Valentine’s Day does not go according to plan when he finds himself on the run from the mob after an unfortunate encounter with a client. It’s a pulpy crime thriller that plays it pretty safe narratively, but where the film stands out is its incredible representation and unabashedness in its identity.
One of the more prominent issues with Ponyboi is that it attempts to juggle too many storylines. You have the main story of the protagonist trying to survive the night, but there is also a romantic subplot, a subplot involving his pimp’s attempts to survive, and the stories of other sex workers our hero and villains encounter along their journey. It’s all a bit much and makes many threads feel underdeveloped.
Ponyboi effectively uses familiar tropes
Also frustrating is that the movie doesn’t seem to have much to say. Granted, it’s refreshing to see this story and its familiar beats told from such a diverse perspective. However, one would hope that Ponyboi would use this as an opportunity to comment on the dangers LGBTQIA+ sex workers face. Instead, this feels dangerously close to a typical cautionary tale.
Still, the film keeps the audience engaged because of how entertaining the ride is. The conventional beats of the story mean we know where this crazy night is headed, but Eseteban Arango’s direction is energetic enough to lend the movie a sense of narrative momentum. Especially considering how hectic the plot threads can be, it can keep viewers’ interest for its 103-minute runtime.
Arango also gives Ponyboi an aesthetic that blends dreaminess and griminess in a way that perfectly accentuate’s the script’s tone. However, the thing that stands out most about the film is how it lenses sex work. It definitely isn’t glorifying the exploitation these individuals face, but it’s also invigoratingly free of judgement.
The movie also benefits from genuinely fun performances from everyone in the cast. Gallo — who cinephiles may recognize Gallo as one of the subjects from last year’s documentary Every Body — has a tremendously engaging screen presence in their feature acting debut. The biggest name in the cast is Dylan O’Brien, and he hams it up here with a ridiculous but fun supporting performance. Victoria Pedretti and Murray Bartlett also have minor supporting roles, although they feel somewhat underused.
Ponyboi is clearly an homage to a particular genre of cinema, and as such, it follows a lot of established tropes. However, the unique voice of writer/actor River Gallego and committed performances from a committed supporting cast allow the film to be consistently entertaining, even when it veers into overly familiar territory.
Ponyboi is screening at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 18-28 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 25-28.
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