Childhood friends Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli, and Conor played together, skipped school together, and dreamt of the lives they would have one day. Now they’re thirty, and the future they imagined is slipping quietly out of reach.

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning poster

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning (2026)

Five friends. Five lives. Countless hopes.

December 4, 2026 109 min

Drama

Director: Clio Barnard  ·  Writer: Enda Walsh

Childhood friends Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli, and Conor played together, skipped school together, and dreamt of the lives they would have one day. Now they’re thirty, and the future they imagined is slipping quietly out of reach.

Trailer

Director

Clio Barnard Clio Barnard

Cast

Anthony Boyle Anthony Boyle Patrick Lola Petticrew Lola Petticrew Shiv Joe Cole Joe Cole Rian Daryl McCormack Daryl McCormack Conor Jay Lycurgo Jay Lycurgo Oli Millie Brady Millie Brady Emma Lucie Shorthouse Lucie Shorthouse Sophie James Eeles James Eeles Marcus Ryan Walker-Edwards Ryan Walker-Edwards Si Sam Brasenell Sam Brasenell Kate

User Reviews (1)

Brent Marchant
Brent Marchant October 22, 2026
★ 6/10

For many of us (especially those under 30), the expectation of being able to afford a reasonably comfortable life is slipping away, ironically, and all too regrettably, becoming little more than a dream in a very real sense. It’s a change that seems to be occurring worldwide, too, as economic disparity continues to take root around the globe. And one locale in which that trend has been occurring is Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK. This development has affected working class residents particularly hard, especially as large swaths of affordable housing complexes have been demolished in favor of pricey new upscale residences in an area where wages have not kept pace. Those are among the circumstances explored in this latest effort from director Clio Barnard, the story of five longtime blue collar friends as they struggle to get by as they approach 30. In addition to their fi…