On Swift Horses

What should provoke happiness instead seems destined for tragedy in On Swift Horses, an uneven romantic melodrama that sometimes feels as aimless as its characters.

The film captures its 1950s setting in evocative and meticulous detail with an amber-hued visual flair, revealing a wartime backdrop that adds a layer of social unease as its characters pursue the elusive American Dream.

Yet as a chronicle of repressed desires and forbidden love, its intimate encounters clouded in cigarette smoke somehow lack the intended sizzle, while its broader conflicts remain largely internalized.

The story opens in rural Kansas, where Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is living happily in her family’s ancestral home with Lee (Will Poulter), recently returned after serving in Korea.

When Lee’s brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), receives his discharge, he cordially pays them a visit, and is welcomed almost as a third member of their family.

Still, Julius comes with an enigmatic swagger that, along with his fuzzy motives, throws some already fragile relationship dynamics into chaos. There’s also a palpable sexual tension. “My brother is not what you think,” Lee explains. “He’s just not like us.”

Complications remain unresolved even after Muriel and Lee get married, and Julius moves away to California. Muriel writes to Julius, and vice-versa, behind Lee’s back, finding a connection over their shared affinity for gambling.

Meanwhile, there are other potential romantic partners in play to tempt both of them, including a casino security employee (Diego Calva) and an olive farmer (Sasha Calle).

The deliberately paced screenplay by Bryce Kass (Lizzie), adapted from Shannon Pufahl’s acclaimed novel, toggles between the parallel stories in a way that keeps both at a frustrating emotional distance before wrapping up its narrative strands too neatly in the end.

Richly textured performances add depth and complexity. In particular, a quietly understated portrayal by Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing) conveys Muriel’s struggles to break free from oppressive expectations.

Veteran episodic director Daniel Minahan (“True Blood”) incorporates the sweeping landscapes into a visual texture that presents a nostalgic glimpse into working-class America at the time.

However, even as the film avoids turning heavy-handed or yielding to cheap sentimentality in exploring the yearning and heartache, On Swift Horses rarely finds its stride.

Rated R, 117 minutes.