Ponyboi (original) (raw)

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2024 American drama film

Ponyboi
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Esteban Arango
Written by River Gallo
Produced by Mark Ankner River Gallo Adel "Future" Nur Trevor Wall
Starring River Gallo Dylan O'Brien Victoria Pedretti Murray Bartlett Indya Moore
Cinematography Ed Wu
Edited by Hanna Park
Music by Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Productioncompanies 30KFT Tideline Entertainment[1]
Distributed by Fox Entertainment Studios Gathr
Release dates January 20, 2024 (2024-01-20) (Sundance) June 27, 2025 (2025-06-27) (United States)
Running time 103 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $29,694[3]

Ponyboi is a 2024 American thriller film directed by Esteban Arango, 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, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett, and Indya Moore.

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024, and was released through Fox Entertainment Studios and GATHR® on June 27, 2025.[4]

On Valentine's Day, in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker is working at a laundromat with their pregnant best friend, Angel. They spend their nights with Vinnie, their secret lover and pimp who is also the father of Angel's child. However, when a drug deal goes bad, they find themself on the run from the mob.[5][6]

In December 2022, it was announced River Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, and Indya Moore had joined the cast of the film, with Esteban Arango directing from a screenplay by Gallo.[7]

The film was shot at various locations in New Jersey.[8] Principal photography concluded by November 2022.[9]

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.[10]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[11] The film was positively reviewed in The Hollywood Reporter, 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."[12] Collider wrote that the film was "cinematic gold" that "would be nothing without River Gallo's performance".[13] Variety gave a more critical review, praising Gallo's acting but criticizing the writing as predictable and too reliant on clichés.[14]

  1. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 19, 2024). "Fox's MarVista Launches Tideline Entertainment; First Movie Under New Label Is Dylan O'Brien Sex-Worker Mob Tale 'Ponyboi' – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Ponyboi". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Ponyboi". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  4. ↑ Grobar, Matt (January 22, 2025). "Sundance Sex Worker Thriller 'Ponyboi' Dated For U.S. Release By Fox Entertainment Studios, Gathr". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  5. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (January 20, 2024). "River Gallo Is Ready to Conquer Sundance With Bold Intersex Crime Drama 'Ponyboi'". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sultana, Rashad (May 16, 2019). "River Gallo brings intersex issues to mainstream consciousness with film "Ponyboi"". Queerty. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ Bergeson, Samantha (December 1, 2022). "'Ponyboi' First Look: Dylan O'Brien and Victoria Pedretti Lead Queer Sex Worker Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ https://njurbannews.com/2025/02/25/on-location-upcoming-movies-being-filmed-in-new-jersey/
  9. ↑ McDaniel, Caitlynn (December 13, 2022). "See What Queer Film Dylan O'Brien Will Star in Next". Gayety. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Ponyboi". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 4, 2025. Edit this at Wikidata
  12. ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 26, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: River Gallo and Dylan O'Brien Star in a Sexy, Sweaty New Jersey Fever Dream". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ Lacson, Therese (January 30, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: Dylan O'Brien? No, This Is River Gallo's Show". Collider. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  14. ↑ Debruge, Peter (January 26, 2024). "'Ponyboi' Review: Intersex Star River Gallo Can't Be Fenced In, Even by Clichés of Their Own Making". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2024.