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.
Contents
Premise
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.
Cast
River Gallo as Ponyboi
Dylan O'Brien as Vinnie
Murray Bartlett as Bruce
Victoria Pedretti as Angel
Indya Moore as Charlie
Denis Lambert
Stephen Moscatello
Aphrodite Armstrong
Keith William Richards as Two-Tone
Production
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.
The film was shot at various locations in New Jersey. Principal photography concluded by November 2022.
Release
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. 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." Collider wrote that the film was "cinematic gold" that "would be nothing without River Gallo's performance". Variety gave a more critical review, praising Gallo's acting but criticizing the writing as predictable and too reliant on clichés.