Ballad of a Small Player (2025)
Director: Edward Berger Run Time: 101 min. Rating: R Release Year: 2025
Starring: Alex Jennings, Colin Farrell, Deanie Yip Tak-Han, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton
Country: Germany, United Kingdom
Language: English, Cantonese
About the film:
Ballad of a Small Player, directed by Edward Berger and adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s novel, is a psychological thriller set in the neon-lit gambling world of Macau.
Colin Farrell stars as Lord Doyle, a former lawyer turned desperate gambler who hides out in Macau to escape mounting debts and the ghosts of his past. Amidst the glitz and chaos of casinos, Doyle’s downward spiral accelerates as a mysterious casino employee, Dao Ming (Fala Chen), offers him a tenuous lifeline, while a relentless private investigator, Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton), hunts him for unpaid dues and unsettled scores. As Doyle chases redemption, his reality fractures, and Macau itself becomes a labyrinth of illusion, chance, and desperate desire.
About the filmmaker:
Edward Berger is a German director and screenwriter known for his cinematic storytelling across film and television. He broke into international acclaim with the Emmy-winning series Patrick Melrose (2018), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and the critically lauded Deutschland 83 / Deutschland 86 series. His film All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) swept the awards season—winning four Academy Awards, including Best International Feature—earning him global recognition. In 2025, Berger directed Ballad of a Small Player, a psychological thriller set in Macau, further expanding his range into nocturnal, character-driven drama.
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