I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning: A Class-Inflected Drama of Five Birmingham Friends

The film follows five thirty-year-old childhood friends who grew up on the same council estate in Birmingham. Conor (Daryl McCormack) is a expectant father launching a building firm with Rian’s (Joe Cole) investment. Rian, who amassed wealth trading stock warrants, lives in a glass-tower flat in London and dates a woman nicknamed “Kate Middleton.” Shiv (Lola Petticrew) is a stay-at-home mother of two, married to Patrick (Anthony Boyle), a food-delivery cyclist. Oli (Jay Lycurgo) deals heroin, cares for a stray dog named Lola, and is haunted by an encounter with an addict’s child. Their intertwined lives expose the pressures of adulthood, economic disparity, and the lingering impact of Birmingham’s demolished brutalist tower blocks.

The Guardian

“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning” adapts Keiran Goddard’s 2014 novel; the screenplay is by Enda Walsh. Director Clio Barnard, known for socially conscious work, filmed on location in real Birmingham homes, clubs, and neighborhoods, involving local residents as background artists. The quintet of rising actors—McCormack, Cole, Petticrew, Boyle, and Lycurgo—portray the five friends. The film premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight and is currently seeking U.S. distribution. Barnard’s production notes emphasize community collaboration and a class-conscious narrative.

IndieWire

The story foregrounds a revived debate over whether housing is a social right or a capital asset. Patrick delivers a manifesto-like speech denouncing the exploitation of working people by asset-owning classes, echoing Loachian critique. The demolition of Birmingham’s tower blocks, recalled by Oli as a dust cloud in which “Satan’s face was discernible,” serves as a symbolic backdrop. Conor names his firm “Dedalus,” invoking the myth of Icarus to suggest the precariousness of ambition. Critics note the film’s “steeped in class-consciousness” tone and its portrayal of gentrification as a “money-making scheme for the newly rich.”

The Guardian

In a Deadline interview, Petticrew explained, “They’re trying to cope with adulthood and the pressures of the world,” adding that the cast built rapport with Birmingham locals, who “welcomed this weird little film crew.” After shooting, the ensemble reported “major craic,” a term for lively fun, as recounted by journalist Baz Bamigboye. While the Cannes premiere and community involvement are documented, the film’s U.S. release schedule, distribution partners, and box-office expectations remain undisclosed.

Deadline Hollywood

• “We feel more than we know and we know more than we can say” — Keiran Goddard, Executive Producer & Author

IndieWire

• “They’re trying to cope with adulthood and the pressures of the world,” — Lola Petticrew, Actor (Shiv)

Deadline Hollywood

• “and deal with the cards that they’ve been dealt in being where they’re from — and how the roads they’ve taken have created a bit of conflict between them. They’re the age that we are, and this was all the music we remember, but everything feels so present.” — Lola Petticrew

Deadline Hollywood

• “Oh, there was major craic that we had,” — Baz Bamigboye, Journalist

Deadline Hollywood

• “You couldn’t be around those boys and around those people and not have major craic. They are honestly four of the funniest people I’ve ever met. So, there were a lot of laughs.” — Baz Bamigboye

Deadline Hollywood

The filmmakers are actively pursuing U.S. distribution, with the expectation that the film will reach a broader audience after its Cannes debut. No specific release dates have been announced.

IndieWire