‘I came out here to apologise. You know. I find myself, at the midpoint of my life, in a dark wood, and now I’m here, in the forest of my mind, and every tree is shame, every living thing is a reprimand, and I realise, I must speak freely now, before I lose you.’

A man – any man, everyman – walks alone through night and the city. From subway to pavement to wide open marshland, he confesses his failings: emotional, physical, political. To whom, and for what? Ashamed and alarmed, he considers both the smallness of human life and the scale of the world, and ultimately our most pressing obligation: to care for those alongside us, and for the earth that sustains us.

A film starring Cillian Murphy, written by Max Porter, directed by Aoife McArdle and with music by Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner and Jon Hopkins, All of This Unreal Time is an MIF21 world premiere. Stream it online on demand any time until 23:59 BST on Saturday 25 September 2021.

Max Porter Writer
Cillian Murphy Actor
Aoife McArdle Film Director
Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner & Jon Hopkins Composers
Mary Hickson Creative Producer

Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival.