Manchester Film Festival returns with a heavyweight opening night at Aviva Studios, pairing a razor sharp short with a tense, big screen thriller and bringing Kit Harington to the city for a live Q&A.
Kicking things off is Psychopomp, Harington’s directorial debut. Shot in Northern England, the dark comedy stars Harry Melling as a man who has decided to end his life and hires an assassin, played by Liam, to help him do it. What follows is an unlikely road trip to what’s meant to be his final resting place.
As plans begin to unravel and a strange friendship forms, the film leans into gallows humour and existential doubt, asking whether it is ever too late to change your mind. The screening is followed by a Q&A with Harington himself, offering insight into his move behind the camera and the making of the film.
The evening continues with The Good Boy, directed by Jan Komasa and starring Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough. This dark, gripping thriller centres on 19 year old Tommy, whose chaotic life of drugs, parties and violence is abruptly interrupted when he is abducted. He wakes chained in the basement of a suburban family home, held by Chris and his almost spectral wife, who are determined to reform him through psychological games and strict control. As tensions rise and Tommy searches for a way out, the film explores power, punishment and the limits of redemption. A Q&A follows the feature screening, courtesy of Signature Entertainment.
As opening nights go, this one sets the tone of this year’s festival: big names, bold storytelling, and the kind of post-screening dialogue you’ll want to stick around for.
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