Cinecity 2026: I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

Dir: Clio Barnard
Cast: Anthony Boyle, Daryl McCormack, Jay Lycurgo, Lola Petticrew, Joe Cole
110 mins · 2026 · UK · Cert 15 · English · very strong language, strong sex, drug misuse
The latest film by acclaimed director Clio Barnard is a bittersweet drama about a group of friends in Birmingham.
Oli, Patrick, Shiv, Rian and Conor have known each other since childhood. Now they’ve reached their 30s and are forced to deal with economic pressures, unfulfilled dreams and unravelling secrets. Their lives are vividly portrayed by an ensemble of up-and-coming British and Irish actors who generate fantastic on screen chemistry. Barnard’s previous work includes Ali & Ava, Dark River and The Selfish Giant. Screenwriter Enda Walsh’s credits include Die My Love, Small Things Like These and Hunger. I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is a tender depiction of friendship which also highlights how working-class lives are compromised by economic and social pressures.
_‘With warmth and heartfelt passion, and a quintet of outstanding performances from young actors shot in looming closeup for so much ofthe time, Clio Barnard has created an absorbing and moving social-realist picture.’_ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian