Caitríona Balfe and Kit Connor's "masterful" drama confirms UK release date

Sense and Sensibility may now be out in the UK, but Caitríona Balfe has another exciting drama on the way. Thankfully, we now know exactly when A Long Winter will be hitting the big screen.

Based on Colm Tóibín's 2006 short story of the same name, the '50s-set drama follows Mike (Fred Hechinger), a native of Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Living with his "complicated father", their world is thrown into chaos when his mother vanishes into the wilderness.

"With their small mountain community rallying together against the unforgiving winter, Mike embarks on a search that leads him toward an unexpected journey of self-discovery, belonging and the quiet strength required to carry on," reads the logline.

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After having a festival run, which includes Telluride Film Festival and the 70th BFI London Film Festival, it has been confirmed that the drama will come to UK and Irish cinemas on 15 January 2027.

The film is written and directed by Andrew Haigh, who is best known for All of Us Strangers and 45 Years. It also boasts a stacked supporting cast, including Kit Connor, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.

Since its world premiere earlier this month, A Long Winter has been generally praised by critics, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a solid approval rating of 83% from 18 reviews.

"On its surface, the film is a critique of patriarchy, but it's a testament to Haigh and his cast that potentially obvious themes are instead explored with rich nuance," opined Screen Daily, who called it "masterful".

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The Guardian was also full of praise in a five-star review, writing: "It is a poignant, subversive study of grief and desire, and the terrible, infantilised loneliness of men without women; it is fiercely acted, and wonderfully shot by cinematographer André Turpin."

"It's a film austere enough to risk alienating its audience, yet once you get onto its wavelength you stay right there, inside the movie's world," noted Variety, while TheWrap dubbed it a "spooky and gently moving tale of loss, acceptance and the limitations of home".

A Long Winter will premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October, before coming to UK and Irish cinemas on 15 January 2027.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.