I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
Curzon Film Distributors | Release Date: TBA CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyMay 22, 2026
This might be familiar dramatic terrain, but it’s handled with blazing empathy by all involved. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanMay 22, 2026
Clio Barnard’s adaptation of the novel by Keiran Goddard is, like her previous works, an expertly-observed study of human relationships, how they are shaped by environment and buffeted by opportunity – or lack of it. Featuring a superb ensemble cast, it’s grounded by a gritty, relatable authenticity that pushes it past its more didactic moments. Read full review
83
IndieWireSophie Monks KaufmanMay 22, 2026
It’s hard to identify when the emotional circuit board underlying “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning” switches on and a low-key multi-character yarn coheres into a humanist light show, only that after that certain point it achieves the enduring power of a folk ballad. Read full review
100
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 22, 2026
With warmth and heartfelt passion, and a quintet of outstanding performances from young actors shot in looming closeup for so much of the time, Clio Barnard has created an absorbing and moving social-realist picture. Read full review
91
The Film StageSavina PetkovaMay 22, 2026
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning achieves something very few films of its kind can: introducing and sustaining a group protagonist while paying the necessary attention to the individuals who form it. Read full review
70
The Irish TimesTara BradyMay 22, 2026
The friendships feel equally authentic, even when the source material, largely composed of inner monologues, can sound polemic transposed to the big screen. Enda Walsh’s script compensates with beautifully constructed interpersonal relations between swipes at capitalism, landlords and generational decline. Simon Tindall’s fluid camerawork adds to a textured sense of place. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenMay 20, 2026
Overall, though, this is a timely drama from a director with a growing canon of eloquent humanist work – a melancholy torch song to the stories that play out beneath our changing skylines. Read full review
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