This film is part of Rentals
This film is certified

- strong language, nudity, scene of implied sexual violence

Louder Than Bombs
Jesse Eisenberg, Isabelle Huppert and Gabriel Byrne star in Joachim Trier’s astute and deftly realised family drama.
Drama 2015 109 mins
Director: Joachim Trier
Overview
This English-language debut from acclaimed director Joachim Trier prospers from a seriously impressive lineup of acting talent. Gabriel Byrne and Jesse Eisenberg play the father and son trying to piece together their family following the death of Isabelle (Huppert), a famous war photographer whose assignments always came first, but whose passing still leaves a considerable void.
As each family member tries to process their loss, they react in different ways, behaving unpredictably in their attempts to forge new roles. While elder sibling Jonah (Eisenberg) tries to adopt the mantle of responsibility, auditing his mother’s archive and looking out for his insular and seemingly troubled brother Conrad (Devin Druid), the burden of unpacking the past seems to influence his own unexpected bout of recklessness. Norwegian director Joachim Trier follows his fine addiction drama Oslo, August 31st with a film that’s wider in scope but equally as incisive. It’s a small-scale American work that feels entirely different from most US indie films, with Trier bringing a distinct emotional sensibility to the work, bringing to mind another expatriate’s family tale, Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm. Switching between the past and present and as it follows its various characters’ concurrent stories, Trier’s drama is rich and complex in form while remaining perceptive and tactile in tone.

Accessibility
Related
Drama

The Good Boss The Good Boss
Comedy 2021 120 mins
Javier Bardem is a beleaguered Spanish factory boss in ruthless pursuit of winning an award for excellence in this waspish corporate comedy.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Comedy 2022 97 mins Director: Sophie Hyde
Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), a retired school teacher and widow, is yearning for adventure and really good sex, in comedian Katy Brand’s witty drama.

She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Boulay-Goldsmith
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.

True Things True Things
Drama 2021 102 mins Director: Harry Wootliff
Ruth Wilson is at her best in this compelling drama about a lonely woman whose life is changed by Tom Burke, the dangerous stranger who offers something different.

Happening Happening
Drama 2021 100 mins Director: Audrey Diwan
Audrey Diwan’s outstanding Venice Golden Lion winner could not be more timely or urgent.

Executive Order Executive Order
Science Fiction 2020 102 mins Director: Lázaro Ramos
In Lázaro Ramos’s disturbing dystopian thriller starring Alfred Enoch, the Brazilian government orders the deportation of the country’s entire Black population.
American Indie

Thunder Road Thunder Road
Comedy 2018 90 mins Director: Jim Cummings
Following the death of his mother, an emotionally unstable cop sees his life slowly unravel in this extraordinary tragicomedy.

Chained for Life Chained for Life
Drama 2018 91 mins Director: Aaron Schimberg
Aaron Schimberg’s dextrous, darkly comedic discourse on physical difference makes you think about cinematic representation without offering simple resolutions.

Vivarium Vivarium
Science Fiction 2019 98 mins Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a pair of first-time buyers who get more than they bargained for in this twisted fable about the horrors of suburban living.

The Assistant The Assistant
Thriller 2019 87 mins Director: Kitty Green
Kitty Green's #MeToo drama is a sobering take on one day in the life of a film company assistant.

Aviva Aviva
Romance 2020 116 mins Director: Boaz Yakin
Incorporating expressive and exultant dance sequences, Aviva is a restless modern love story that explores the complexities of gender dynamics.

Sweet Thing Sweet Thing
Drama 2020 91 mins
Three children embark on a wild trek across Massachusetts, crossing paths with a variety of eccentrics, in this poetic drama from 90s indie hero Alexandre Rockwell (In The Soup).
Featuring Gabriel Byrne

Mad to Be Normal Mad to Be Normal
Drama 2016 105 mins Director: Robert Mullan
David Tennant is inspired as the renegade Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing, whose unorthodox therapeutic ideas chime with the radical spirit of 1960s counterculture.

Spider Spider
Drama 2003 94 mins Director: David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg directs Ralph Fiennes in this chilling psychological drama about a mentally-disturbed man facing his horrifying childhood memories.

Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
Documentary 2016 94 mins Director: Louise Osmond
Louise Osmond's funny, provocative and revealing account of the life and career of one of Britain’s most celebrated and controversial filmmakers.
Featuring Isabelle Huppert

Frankie Frankie
Romance 2019 100 mins Director: Ira Sachs
Ira Sachs' utterly engaging romantic drama starring Isabelle Huppert as a celebrated actress who gathers her disparate family on an unexpectedly emotional retreat.

Reinventing Marvin Reinventing Marvin
Drama 2017 114 mins Director: Anne Fontaine
A young gay man (Finnegan Oldfield ) flourishes under the tutelage of Isabelle Huppert's drama teacher, in this stirring drama from director Anne Fontaine (The Innocents).

Home Home
Drama 2008 94 mins Director: Ursula Meier
Ursula Meier's dark semi-comic fable concerns a family living next to an unused motorway. Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet excel as the parents
New

The Good Boss The Good Boss
Comedy 2021 120 mins
Javier Bardem is a beleaguered Spanish factory boss in ruthless pursuit of winning an award for excellence in this waspish corporate comedy.

Maisie Maisie
Documentary 2021 76 mins Director: Lee Cooper
An intimate portrait of ageing and friendship, we follow David Raven as he dons his sequins and eyelashes to prepare for a special birthday performance as ‘Maisie Trollette’, Britain’s Oldest Performing Drag Artiste.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Fantasy 2017 133 mins Director: Terry Gilliam
Two decades in the making, Terry Gilliam’s wildly imaginative Cervantes adaptation is finally with us, and it’s everything we have come to expect from this visionary filmmaker.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Comedy 2022 97 mins Director: Sophie Hyde
Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), a retired school teacher and widow, is yearning for adventure and really good sex, in comedian Katy Brand’s witty drama.

She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Boulay-Goldsmith
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.

True Things True Things
Drama 2021 102 mins Director: Harry Wootliff
Ruth Wilson is at her best in this compelling drama about a lonely woman whose life is changed by Tom Burke, the dangerous stranger who offers something different.