Bill Nighy's new drama & Sons has confirmed its UK release date. & Sons had its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival last year and will now make it to UK cinemas on August 21.
The film has also released its first trailer showing a bearded Nighy as reclusive novelist Andrew Dyer. Believing he is about to die, Dyer summons his estranged sons to his home.
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The synopsis continues: "But instead of seeking forgiveness for his countless mistakes, he instead reveals a truly unbelievable secret that brings his beloved ex-wife back into his orbit.
"With decades of resentment, jealousy and rage on the verge of spilling over, this splintered family is forced to face an inevitable reckoning, for better or for worse."
While it seems pretty straightforward, the film does contain a twist to set it apart from the usual family drama, which is best kept secret until you watch it for yourself.
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& Sons' cast also includes George MacKay, Johnny Flynn, and Noah Jupe, alongside The Crown's Dominic West and Paddington's Imelda Staunton.
The film was adapted from the 2013 novel of the same name by David Gilbert, with Sarah Polley, who previously adapted Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, penning the script.
Directing is Argentinian Pablo Trapero, making his English-language film debut. He previously helmed 2015 family crime drama The Clan, which landed him the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.
The Wrap described & Sons as a "strong, surprising family drama", adding: "Family, already a complicated, often painful part of our lives, is made into something even more challenging in the dynamic, deceptively intriguing drama."
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Screen Daily called it "a unique soft sci-fi twist on the 'terrible dad tries to atone to his kids during the winter of life' tale", but added that it "unfortunately doesn’t feature enough alterations to that narrative form to sustain its melodrama".
NextBestPicture wrote: "The cast – especially Staunton and Jupe – deliver nuanced and visibly sincere performances that elevate the film, their complicated interactions filled with tension and fleeting moments of tenderness."
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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
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