''Ponyboi'' is a 2024 American

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Esteban Arango Esteban Arango is a Colombian American filmmaker. Early life and education Arango was born in Bogotá, Colombia and moved with his family to the United States in 2000. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications from Florida Intern ...

, 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 Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series '' Teen Wolf'' (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fictio ...

Victoria Pedretti Victoria Pedretti (born March 23, 1995) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for starring in the Netflix horror series ''The Haunting of Hill House'' (2018) and '' The Haunting of Bly Manor'' (2020), which established her as a s ...

Murray Bartlett Murray Bartlett (born 20 March 1971) is an Australian actor. He became known for starring as a luxury resort manager in the first season of the HBO dark comedy series ''The White Lotus'' (2021), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outsta ...

and Indya Moore. It had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on January 20, 2024, and was released through

Fox Entertainment Studios Fox Entertainment is an American entertainment company owned by Fox Corporation known for television production and distribution. The company was formed in 2019 after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, with offices in ...

and Gathr on June 27, 2025.

Premise

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

, in New Jersey, a young

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

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.

Cast

* River Gallo as Ponyboi *

as Vinnie *

as Angel *

as Bruce * Indya Moore as Charlie * Denis Lambert * Stephen Moscatello * Aphrodite Armstrong *

Keith William Richards Keith William Richards (born April 11, 1963) is an American actor, best known for playing Phil in the 2019 film ''Uncut Gems''. Early life Keith Williams Richards was born in New Jersey. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Stuyvesant ...

as Two-Tone

Production

In December 2022, it was announced River Gallo,

, and Indya Moore had joined the cast of the film, with Esteban Arango directing from a screenplay by Gallo. The film was shot at various locations in New Jersey.Principal photography concluded by December 2022.

Release

It had its world premiere at the

on January 20, 2024.

Reception

The film was positively reviewed in ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', 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." ''

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...

'' wrote that the film was "cinematic gold" that "would be nothing without River Gallo's performance".''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' gave a more critical review, praising Gallo's acting but criticizing the writing as predictable and too reliant on clichés.

References

External links

* {{IMDB title 2024 LGBTQ-related films 2024 independent films American LGBTQ-related films Films scored by Cristobal Tapia de Veer American thriller films LGBTQ-related thriller films 2024 thriller films 2020s American films Features based on short films Valentine's Day in films Films set in New Jersey Films shot in New Jersey