内容摘要：Anne D’Innocenzio shows a portrait of herself, right, with her sister, Donna Burke, left, and mother, Marie D’Innocenzio, as she sits on a sofa from her childhood home, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Anne D’Innocenzio shows a portrait of herself, right, with her sister, Donna Burke, left, and mother, Marie D’Innocenzio, as she sits on a sofa from her childhood home, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

But despite a brilliant performance by“On Swift Horses” gets lost in a meandering plot and clunky symbols, including olives, atomic bomb tests, a tiny gun and a horse, the universal sign of the unbridled self that is just sort of dumped here. The execution is often slack and then veers into melodrama in the last 15 minutes. And there’s a weird noir vibe that doesn’t really work.

Jacob Elordi, left, and Diego Caliva in a scene from “On Swift Horses.” (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)Jacob Elordi, left, and Diego Caliva in a scene from “On Swift Horses.” (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)That’s a shame because a film dealing with hidden homosexuality is very relevant as some forces seem to seek to return America to the ‘50s —

no queer accommodation, definitelyThe neat and tidy world of Edgar-Jones’ Muriel becomes unmoored by the emergence of Julius, her husband’s brother. Julius — played by a forever-smoldering Jacob Elordi with an ever-present cigarette, which goes from acting prop to crutch — brings an anarchic energy. He’s a cad, but a lovable one.

He recognizes something in Muriel — a wistfulness, a restlessness. “I think you see all through all of it,” he tells her. She soon overhears horse racing tips at work and uses them to earn thousands, hiding the winnings from her husband. She also seems to connect in a flirtatious way with neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle, excellent).

Meanwhile, Julius has ended up in Las Vegas, falling in love with a co-worker, played by a soulful Diego Calva. They’re employed by a casino to watch over gamblers and make sure there’s no cheating. They are basically pairs of eyes removed from the world, watching from a perch above the action.Nathan Caine may not be able to feel pain, as the tagline for the

“Novocaine” reads, but the same does not apply to audiences.Although he doesn’t scream when his leg is impaled with an arrow or when he sticks his hand in a vat of frying oil, you might. I certainly did. Out loud. In a theater. With other people. There may have been some phrases uttered entirely involuntarily too. Were other people reacting in the same way, I wonder? I couldn’t hear them over my own groans. Hooray for the communal experience, I guess?

This is, in some ways, a film for people who thoughtwasn’t stabby enough. It delights in the relentless mutilation of its hero, a regular guy (played by