A Long Winter is a 2026 drama film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, based on the 2006 short story by Colm Tóibín, and is a co-production of Canada and the United Kingdom. It stars Fred Hechinger, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Caitríona Balfe, Kit Connor, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, David Furr, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Freeman.
The film premiered at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2026, and will be released in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2027. It received positive reviews from critics.
Contents
Cast
Fred Hechinger as Mike
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Lester, Mike's father
Caitríona Balfe as Louise, Mike's mother
Kit Connor as Tommy, Mike's brother
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Jimmy
David Furr as Ben
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Joe
Martin Freeman as Frank, Louise's brother
Production
Written and directed by Andrew Haigh, the film is an adaptation of the short story written by Colm Tóibín. It is produced by Tristan Goligher for The Bureau, Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev for Nomadic Pictures, and Michael Elliott. The film was developed by Mubi, with co-financing from Film4. André Turpin serves as cinematographer and Jonathan Alberts as editor.
The cast of the film includes Fred Hechinger, Kit Connor and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Caitríona Balfe joined the cast in October 2025, with principal photography under way that month in Alberta, Canada.
Release
A Long Winter premiered at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival. It will have its Canadian premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2026. It was also selected for the Main Slate of the 2026 New York Film Festival.
Mubi will release the film in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2027. In the United States, it will released in select theaters in New York on 4 December, before a wider release on 22 January 2027.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79%, based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.0/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian awarded the film five stars, praising the acting and the cinematographer André Turpin, describing the film as a "fascinating, affecting and enigmatic study" of manhood.