I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning - Review (London Film Festival 2026)
Updated: 1 day ago
Don’t Mug Yourself.
Seen at the BFI London Film Festival 2026
Review written by Jack Aling
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is directed by Clio Barnard and written by Enda Walsh.
Starring Anthony Boyle, Lola Petticrew, Joe Cole & Daryl McCormack.
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.
Blisteringly honest filmmaking and touching performances create a vibrant and lived-in world with instantly alluring characters that I can't get off my mind.
On the surface, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is another British social drama that tackles tough but unavoidable issues in modern Britain. Its Birmingham location and obsession with social housing set the scene for our five characters, all with different lifestyles as they attempt to hold on to the life they once had while it crumbles around them.
Life continues to change and evolve. It will take unexpected turns and will test you, but this film is an important reminder to have the right support systems in place, because one day, you're going to need them.
The ethereal drunken opening set to the sounds of The Streets perfectly demonstrates the rebellious and destructive yet heartening community at the core of I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning.
A landmark achievement in modern British filmmaking.
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