Daisy Edgar-Jones’ first impression of this hilarious TIFF film was one of admiration riding a fast horse. “I love the producers behind this movie. I love please call me by your name and nomadic land So I’m very excited for them to take on this project. The film created a world where it premiered on September 8th.
“Then I read the script and I thought it was so beautiful and lyrical and a gorgeous exploration of love and self-discovery.” Her cherry on top? “When I found out about the cast – Will, Jacob [Elordi]Sasha [Calle] and diego [Calva] — I thought it was a cool opportunity to star in a historical film with a really exciting group of young actors.
The film is set in the 1950s and adapted from the 2019 book of the same name by writer Shannon Pufahl. holston and fellow travelers helmer Daniel Minahan offers a lot of cool and style without sacrificing sophistication. Edgar Jones plays Muriel, a Kansas country girl who is emotionally entangled between two men – her husband Lee (Poulter) and his brother Julius (Elordi) ). The two men, returning home from the Korean War, reunited with Muriel over Christmas in a house her mother had purchased, a rare feat for women at the time. Although Muriel eventually agreed to marry Lee, her infatuation with Julius was immediately apparent, and she and Julius continued to correspond after she and Lee settled in San Diego.
Elordi’s Julius sees life as a gamble, and instead of abiding by the new deal, he chooses to work in a Las Vegas casino. There he begins a passionate affair with the dashing and cunning Henry (Diego Calva), who takes greater risks than he does. Muriel, who now works as a waitress, is attracted by the freedom she feels in Julius and begins quietly placing bets at the racetrack. It’s the life she hides from her husband, and her own secret same-sex desires, as they continue to pursue his American dream in California.
“Meeting Julius was a pivotal moment in her life. She and Lee had a relationship. There was a lot of love between them, but there was an energy about Julius, and his energy breathed new life into her. I think she was in him. She saw and recognized a lot of herself, but she couldn’t articulate in her mind what it was,” explains Edgar-Jones, who recently appeared in a summer blockbuster. tornado With Glen Powell.
“It starts out as a lightning bolt moment of attraction, and then throughout the story she takes that further with little moments of taking back her autonomy and power. [through] She gambled and won the money and hid it,” she added. “There was a lot of love between Lee and Muriel. She did love him, but not the way she wanted.
Poulter considered Lee both a man of his time and a man ahead of his time. “I think Lee represented in some ways a particular pursuit of the American dream,” he commented. “I think he was a young man who fit a lot of the social expectations of the time and had a heterosexual view of the world that was quite limited in some ways. I think he also had, maybe beyond what was superficial, a through-and-through view of the world. Living his brother’s life with a broader understanding of sexuality, his love for his brother and understanding the fact that he and his brother didn’t have a chance to really live as himself, to live freely as a queer person. So, I think. His closeness to his brother allows him to gain a more concrete understanding of Muriel’s sexual identity exploration.
Both praised the director for making the film’s 1950s setting and its constraints feel realistic. “It’s amazing when your director becomes the touchstone for whatever you want,” Poulter said. “Dan was incredibly well researched and immersed in that period and everything that related to the complexity of the characters at that time, especially the queer experience. As a gay man, he was able to express his views on how to speak with authenticity and dignity. I was a fan before and even more so now.
As British actors, both Edgar-Jones and Poulter said they didn’t feel out of place with the American themes. “I grew up watching classic American movies and listening to classic American music from that era. So I don’t feel like it’s too far away from me,” Edgar-Jones said.
“Wanting to live a better life for yourself, or wanting to live authentically, is a universal theme,” Poulter added. “One of the beautiful things about this story is that no matter what journey you witness, there’s a relatable quality to everyone’s personal journey throughout the film.”
Both enjoyed the film’s optimistic spirit. “It doesn’t end with a full bow. It feels like there’s more to do and a journey to go on, but it does feel hopeful,” shared Edgar Jones.
“We’re reminding people that for many queer people, their journeys are much more complex and difficult, but they don’t always end in tragedy,” Poulter added.
