Director Andrew Haigh, known for All of Us Strangers and 45 Years, returns with his latest feature film, A Long Winter. Adapted by Haigh from the 2006 short story of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín, the British-Canadian production has unveiled its first-look images ahead of its autumn festival run.

Set in the stark, snow-covered mountain regions of the American West during the early 1950s, the story examines a family fracturing under the weight of grief, isolation, and unspoken longings. The narrative centers on Mikey, the eldest son, played by Fred Hechinger. Mikey helplessly watches his family dynamic disintegrate after his younger brother, Tommy (Kit Connor), leaves home to fight in the Korean War.

Caitríona Balfe stars as the family’s matriarch, who struggles with severe depression and growing discontentment in her marriage to a coal miner husband, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Overwhelmed by her provincial, isolated life, she disappears into a blinding blizzard, forcing her husband and remaining son to venture into the dangerous wilderness to search for her.

The film’s ensemble cast includes D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, David Furr, and Martin Freeman. The first-look images highlight the picture’s melancholic visual tone, captured on location in Alberta, Canada, by cinematographer André Turpin. One image shows Mikey and his father searching the vast, snowy terrain with visible distress, while another depicts Mikey alone in their rural home, grappling with the absence of his mother.

Distributed globally by MUBI in partnership with Film4, A Long Winter is scheduled to make its Canadian debut in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It has also been selected for the Main Slate at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) prior to its theatrical release across Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Source: Compiled from various sources