The incomparable Juliette Binoche heads an international cast (including Maria Doyle Kennedy and Larry Mullen Jr) in this sophisticated, gripping drama about a war photographer forced to choose between her work and her family.

We meet photojournalist Rebecca (Binoche) in a beguiling, dialogue-free opening sequence set in Afghanistan, where she crosses the line from witnessing atrocity to being involved. On her return home to Ireland she struggles to adjust to family life with her husband Marcus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and her two daughters. Rebecca attempts to reconnect with her eldest daughter Steph through the very work which drove them apart but, when the photojournalist makes another controversial choice, their fragile détente is shattered.

Binoche inhabits the role of this complex and challenging protagonist with characteristic grace and commitment, while Steph is a breakout turn for young Irish actress Lauryn Canny, luminous as the awkward, prickly teenager. Directed by Erik Poppe with vibrant and striking cinematography from John Christian Rosenlund, A Thousand Times Good Night is at its heart a touching story about family, the ties that bind us, and what you are willing to lose in the search to be true to yourself.

Kate McEvoy

‘Poppe imbues the film with enormous emotional resonance, brilliantly grounded by his leading lady’
Variety

Winner, Special Grand Prix, Montreal World Film Festival