Always on the lookout for an under-the-radar queer indie, Ponyboi first caught my attention when it premiered at 2024’s Sundance Film Festival. The presence of enthralling internet boyfriend Dylan O’Brien and You breakout star Victoria Pedretti promised a burst of starpower to go with it. Finally, just over a year after debuting to critical acclaim, writer/producer/lead River Gallo shines in this intersex crime portrait. While O’Brien, Pedretti, and Murray Bartlett are wonderful as expected, Gallo makes for a standout performance that simmers over with emotions. Intimate and visceral, Ponyboi‘s searing character study and tangled web of drama produce an exceptionally unique, genre-bending queer thriller.
A sweaty Valentine’s Day in New Jersey makes perfect table setting for the tale of intersex sex worker, the titular Ponyboi (Riveral Gallo). As the film opens, Ponyboi is plagued by flashes of memories that emphasize a problematic home life, and a potentially horrific medical event. Instead of rushing into the inciting incident, Gallo gives us breathing room to get to know this central figure, flaws and all. We follow a normal day in the life of Ponyboi, one in which his own sexual prowess becomes a currency. He makes money sleeping with truckers, or whoever he gets set up to pleasure for money. Employed at a laundromat by charismatic yet toxic thug, Vinnie (O’Brien), Ponyboi longs to escape, hunting for more meaning in his own life. But how can one move on when their past looms over them like a cloud?
Ponyboi dodges an endless stream of messages from his mother before finally taking a difficult call. His estranged father is on his death bed, and desperately wants to reconcile before shuffling off this mortal coil. Their past may be too tangled for a final chance in Ponyboi’s eyes. As we follow the character towards a potential road to forgiveness, his own morality is called into question. Despite appearing to be best friends with heavily pregnant roommate, Angel (Pedretti), Ponyboi sleeps with baby daddy Vinnie behind Angel’s back. The situation becomes even more complicated when Vinnie pressures Ponyboi to help sell a dangerous new drug strain so he can hit the jackpot. In the aftermath of a transformational sexual encounter, Ponyboi flees with Vinnie’s cash in tow, and leaves behind the body of a high-profile mafioso John.
Despite the murky morals, we get a true window into Ponyboi’s motivations and desires. Clearly despite it being oh-so-wrong, the thuggish Vinnie turns him on. A soft-spoken cowboy destined for Las Vegas (Bartlett) catches Ponyboi’s eye from the second he walks into the laundromat. The film doesn’t neatly label Ponyboi, instead emphasizing the confusion and contradictions of being intersex, forced into binary boxes. Intense scenes showcase the exploitation and dehumanization sex workers face; conversely, we also glimpse the small miracles that keep him going. The truest bond is the one between Angel and Ponyboi at the core of the story. They are enmeshed in a web of bullshit spun by Vinnie’s sleaze. River Gallo delivers a deep turn as Ponyboi, but Dylan O’Brien’s dangerously unhinged Vinnie leaves a chilling mark. As a manipulative and abusive pimp, O’Brien becomes virtually unrecognizable.
Ultimately, Ponyboi makes for a seriously riveting character study layered with specificity and a deep understanding for sex workers. It manages to sandwich dark comedy and moving moments of meaning between a thrilling power play between Ponyboi and Vinnie. Anyone on the hunt for a solid queer indie will find the perfect target. Director Esteban Arango understands how to make us feel for Ponyboi’s vulnerable journey of self-discovery. With exceptional talent both in front of and behind the camera, Ponyboi could have only hatched from a personal place that just Gallo can speak fluently. To request a screening in your area, please head over to the official website. You can also utilize the “Pay It Forward” feature, which allows a tax deductible donation of a ticket(s) so that others less fortunate can see the movie.
Go on a wild adventure with Ponyboi, in limited release theaters just in time for Pride Month on Friday, June 27th. Ponyboi will also be available on digital and VOD services in July.
