Netflix has just dropped the trailer for BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER, and it promises to be a tense exploration of desperation and moral decay set against the neon-lit backdrop of Macau.
Colin Farrell stars as Brendan Reilly, an Irish fugitive who has fled to what the film calls “the gambling capital of the universe,” where he’s reinvented himself under the alias Lord Doyle. The footage reveals a man living on borrowed time and borrowed identities, his past rapidly catching up with him in the form of Tilda Swinton’s steely investigator. She confronts him with accusations that cut straight to the bone: he’s stolen a substantial amount of money from her client, described pointedly as “a helpless old woman.”
Swinton delivers what might be the film’s thesis statement when she tells Doyle, “What I see is a man way beyond any redemption,” a judgment that seems both brutal and accurate given what unfolds. Rather than face the consequences, Doyle plunges deeper into the very vice that likely contributed to his downfall, embarking on a frantic gambling spree in a desperate attempt to win enough to settle his mounting debts and those of his love interest, a casino employee played by Fala Chen.
It’s a classic spiral, the kind where each attempt to escape only tightens the noose, and Netflix seems to be banking on Farrell’s ability to make us watch a man destroy himself in real time with the kind of intensity that makes you unable to look away.
The @dublintheatrefestival_ runs to Oct 11, and 2026 is bringing pure fire 🔥
This year`s programme leans all the way in, with world premieres and major Irish productions that challenge, provoke, and celebrate queer talent and stories.
Get your tickets via link in bio.
CaitrÃona Balfe has seen it all when it comes to OUTLANDER fans!
The SENSE AND SENSIBILITY star shares the funniest, most unforgettable encounters with the people who`ve followed Claire Fraser`s journey for over a decade 😂
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
BAD SISTERS creator @sharonhorgan strikes gold again!
Her new comedy, YOUTH, about a 50-year-old caught between her college-aged son and her aging parents is now on @hbomax.
Watch trailer via irishfilmtv.com.
She commands every room she walks into ðŸŽ
Siobhán McSweeney, the BAFTA-winning star of DERRY GIRLS, is now the host of THE TRAITORS IRELAND, guiding strangers through a game of trust, suspicion, and deception where a single glance can shift the balance of power.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
Don`t miss Liam Neeson with @patrickielty on THE LATE LATE SHOW!
Big Liam joined campaigner Catherine Corless to discuss THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM, the most important Irish film of 2026.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio!
In theatres today!
Saoirse Ronan returns to the big screen in BAD APPLES. the dark comedy where she plays a teacher driven to extremes.
Watch Saoirse`s interview with @picturehouses via 🔗︎ in bio.
Irish eyes were shining in #Toronto this week 🎬
Monaghan`s own CaitrÃona Balfe hit the red carpet at TIFF for the premiere of TENZING — the incredible true story of Tenzing Norgay, the Himalayan climber history almost forgot, and his historic 1953 ascent of Everest alongside Edmund Hillary.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio.
Tea, reflection, and a very different kind of classroom drama ☕🎬
Saoirse Ronan opens up on A MUG OF LIFE about presence, growth, and calm — then goes full dark comedy in BAD APPLES, in UK cinemas from September 18.
Watch now via 🔗︎ in bio.
Meet Liam Neeson, the producer!
Enraged by a 2017 New York Times investigation into the Tuam mother and baby home scandal, Neeson has backed THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM, in Irish theatres on Sep 25.
Full details via link in bio 🔗︎
