All of This Unreal Time

Catch the London premiere of the film by Aoife McArdle, Cillian Murphy and Max Porter, followed by live music composed by Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and Jon Hopkins.

‘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, every man – 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, produced by Mary Hickson and Fran Thompson, and with music by Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner and Jon Hopkins, All of This Unreal Time was first presented as an immersive installation at Manchester Central during the 2021 edition of Manchester International Festival.

The screening is followed by a Q&A with members of the creative team and live performances of new work inspired by the film from composers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and Jon Hopkins.