Clio Barnard's exhilarating slice-of-life drama about childhood friends who find life in their 30s very different to the ones they dreamed of as teenagers.

Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor have been inseparable since they were young. Now approaching thirty, they’re finding adulthood far tougher than expected. Some are struggling to secure steady work, others are hustling for money or trying to buy a home, while old problems refuse to fade. As their lives begin to pull in different directions, the friendships that have held them together for years come under strain.

Director Clio Barnard (The Arbour, Ali & Ava, The Selfish Giant) brings humour, heart and an abundance of energy to this very contemporary slice of social realism. Set in Birmingham and featuring a terrific young cast, there’s a palpable sense of a shared history that stretches far beyond the screen. Housing, work, class and masculinity all loom large, but at its heart this is a funny, sad and very relatable film about friendship and trying to find your place in the world.

“An absorbing and moving social-realist picture. It’s a film whose mix of poignancy, defiance and contaminated euphoria stayed with me hours after the closing credits” – Guardian

“This is a timely drama from a director with a growing canon of eloquent humanist work” – Time Out

“Comes at you like a pint of lager with a Jäger bomb chaser and a packet of crisps – strong, energising, salty and sharp, you feel the headiness and the kick” – Eye For Film

BUY TICKETS

Credits:

Actor

Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Lola Petticrew, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl McCormack

Director

Clio Barnard

UK Distributor

Curzon Film Distribution

Running Time: 109 min

Year: 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Languages: English

Subtitles: No subtitles

Recomended Age: 15

Offers and Passes

Support the festival