I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

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.