They Shoot Horses

  • Director

    Ryan Harman

  • Country, Year, Length

    United States, 2024, 7:11

  • Category

    LGBTQIA+ Short

  • Format

    Red

  • Festival Year

    2025

Synopsis

In ‘They Shoot Horses’, an underconfident athlete joins a fitness class in search of both a physical transformation and an escape from his insecurities. Guided by an assertive coach, the athlete faces a series of extreme physical challenges. As the workouts intensify, they become a test of his willpower and endurance.

Film Screening & Ticket Information

When & Where to See this Film!

BLOC: Out and About: 6 Films on the vibrant and real Queer experience.

KAS Zukor
8:15pm Friday, November 7th

Films in this Bloc:

Film Information

From the Director

Director Statement

‘They Shoot Horses’ title derives from Sidney Pollack’s depression-era dance marathon film, ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’. It also looks to Shirley Jackson’s short story ‘The Lottery’, Mike Kelley’s video installation and performance piece ‘Day is Done’, Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein’s animated short ‘Balance’, and Denis Villeneuve’s short film ‘Next Floor’. In each work, a group of people acts as a singular character of sorts.

This project depicts how a desire to conform to a physical ideal can lead to dehumanization. The characters in ‘They Shoot Horses’ become depersonalized, and the film analyzes the repercussions of this transformation.

Repetition emerges as a pivotal aspect of the narrative. Performing exercises as a group enacts conformity through both action and movement.

The film’s editing and music underscore this emphasis on repetition. The recurring motifs in Steve Reich’s seminal ‘Music for 18 Musicians’ inspired the movement in the film.

The film is also influenced by Claire Denis’ ‘Beau Travail’ (repetition, cinematography, visuals), the Quay Brothers’ ‘Institute Benjamenta’ (repetition), and Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Suspiria’ (costumes and movement).

Director Biography

Ryan Harman is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and the Estate Manager at Participant Inc, a nonprofit art space supporting experimental and underrepresented voices.
Originally from a small town (pop. 280) in northern Idaho, he graduated from Columbia University with a degree in architeture.

His work centers on LGBTQ+ themes, creating narratives that explore desire, discomfort, and identity through characters on the margins. His shorts have screened at queer film festivals internationally. Ryan is developing a queer psychological thriller and a horror series set in NYC that reimagines the AIDS crisis as a contemporary haunting.

Credits

    • Ryan Harman
      Director
      Weaving, Runner, FORT, Conduit
    • Ryan Harman
      Writer
      Weaving, Runner, FORT, Conduit
    • Craig Hunter
      Producer
      Weaving, Runner, FORT
    • Audrey Wick
      Producer
      Celebration of Life, Mayor For a Day,
    • Ken Barnett
      Key Cast
      “Coach”
      Lavender, The Good Fight, Mozart in the Jungle, The Knick, Mad Men
    • Jeff Brackett
      Key Cast
      “#1”
      EQUUS, Hawaii Five-O
    • Mathias Coppens
      Composer
    • Saranya Nayak
      Sound Designer