Verified source report
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning review – sweet, sad portrait of gen Z discontent and disillusion
Cannes film festival: Clio Barnard’s absorbing tale depicts five friends who grew up together in Birmingham but now face divided destinies With warmth and heartfelt passion, and a quintet of outstanding performances from young actors shot in looming closeup for so much of the time, Clio Barnard has created an absorbing and moving social-realist picture. It’s a film whose mix of poignancy, defiance and contaminated euphoria stayed with me hours after the closing credits. It is about five young people from Birmingham who grew up together, reaching the end of their 20s, sensing a looming crisis and on the verge of a tragedy that is mysteriously growing from within their own increasing disparity. It is adapted by screenwriter Enda Walsh from the novel of the same name by Kieran Goddard, the statically rendered pentaptych of five consciousnesses in Goddard’s book being transformed into a frau

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What happened
According to The Guardian’s source item, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning review – sweet, sad portrait of gen Z discontent and disillusion, Cannes film festival: Clio Barnard’s absorbing tale depicts five friends who grew up together in Birmingham but now face divided destinies With warmth and heartfelt passion, and a quintet of outstanding performances from young actors shot in looming closeup for so much of the time, Clio Barnard has created an absorbing and moving social-realist picture. It’s a film whose mix of poignancy, defiance and contaminated euphoria stayed with me hours after the closing credits. It is about five young people from Birmingham who grew up together, reaching the end of their 20s, sensing a looming crisis and on the verge of a tragedy that is mysteriously growing from within their own increasing disparity. It is adapted by screenwriter Enda Walsh from the novel of the same name by Kieran Goddard, the statically rendered pentaptych of five consciousnesses in Goddard’s book being transformed into a frau
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-20T08:34:31+00:00.
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Primary source: I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning review – sweet, sad portrait of gen Z discontent and disillusion via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning review – sweet, sad portrait of gen Z discontent and disillusionThe Guardian - 2026-05-20T08:34:31+00:00
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