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Ballad of a Small Player
American psychological thriller film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ballad of a Small Player is a 2025 British psychological thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Rowan Joffé, based on the 2014 novel The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne. The film stars Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, and Tilda Swinton.[1]
Ballad of a Small Player had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on 29 August 2025, and was released in select cinemas in the United States on 15 October 2025, before being released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2025, before its streaming debut by Netflix on 29 October 2025.[3][1]
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Premise
"Lord Doyle is laying low in Macau – spending his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left. Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming, a casino employee with secrets of her own. However, in hot pursuit is Cynthia Blithe – a private investigator ready to confront Doyle with what he is running from. As Doyle tries to climb to salvation, the confines of reality start to close in."
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Cast
- Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle
- Fala Chen as Dao Ming
- Tilda Swinton as Cynthia Blithe
- Deanie Ip as Grandma
- Alex Jennings as Adrian Lippett
Production
The film is directed by Edward Berger[5] and written by Rowan Joffé, based on Lawrence Osborne's 2014 novel The Ballad of a Small Player. Mike Goodridge is producing the film for Good Chaos, along with Berger for Nine Hours, as well as Matthew James Wilkinson.[6] In April 2024, Colin Farrell was cast in the lead role. Later that month, Tilda Swinton joined the cast.[7][8] In May 2024, Fala Chen joined the cast.[9] In May 2025, Deannie Yip and Alex Jennings were also revealed to have been in the cast.[3]
Filming
Principal photography began on June 26, 2024, in Macau and Hong Kong and wrapped on August 25.[10]
Release
It had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on August 29, 2025.[11] It also screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2025.[12][13]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 56% approval rating based on 36 critic reviews.[14] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 48/100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[15]
Accolades
The film was also a nominee for the 2025 Golden Seashell in the Best Film category at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[18]
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References
External links
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