I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning Showcase © Chris Harris
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About
Canadian Premiere
Having navigated every rite of passage together, five childhood friends now find themselves drifting apart as they approach their thirties: Conor (Daryl Lycurgo) constantly succumbs to his self-destructive tendencies; carefree Oli (Jay Lycurgo) suffers a crisis of conscience over peddling heroin; high-school sweethearts Patrick (Anthony Boyle) and Shiv (Lola Petticrew) have their bond tested when a secret is revealed; and the upwardly mobile Rian (Joe Cole) is routinely drawn back into his friends’ gravitational pull, despite having traded Birmingham for London.
Working from a carefully crafted script by Enda Walsh (Steve McQueen’s Hunger), Clio Barnard (The Arbor) conspires with her ensemble to bring these richly detailed, fascinatingly flawed characters to life. Once again demonstrating an unwavering social conscience, Barnard’s latest has much to say about contemporary economic pressures and how the game is rigged for the working class. However, it’s the electrifying character dynamics that give I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning its most persuasive power.
People’s Choice Audience Award: Director’s Fortnight, Cannes 2026
Having navigated every rite of passage together, five childhood friends now find themselves drifting apart as they approach their thirties: Conor (Daryl Lycurgo) constantly succumbs to his self-destructive tendencies; carefree Oli (Jay Lycurgo) suffers a crisis of conscience over peddling heroin; high-school sweethearts Patrick (Anthony Boyle) and Shiv (Lola Petticrew) have their bond tested when a secret is revealed; and the upwardly mobile Rian (Joe Cole) is routinely drawn back into his friends’ gravitational pull, despite having traded Birmingham for London.
Working from a carefully crafted script by Enda Walsh (Steve McQueen’s Hunger), Clio Barnard (The Arbor) conspires with her ensemble to bring these richly detailed, fascinatingly flawed characters to life. Once again demonstrating an unwavering social conscience, Barnard’s latest has much to say about contemporary economic pressures and how the game is rigged for the working class. However, it’s the electrifying character dynamics that give I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning its most persuasive power.
People’s Choice Audience Award: Director’s Fortnight, Cannes 2026
