Year: 2026
Director: Isaac Knights-Washbourn
Producer: Nadja Lapcevic
Co-Producer: Hrvoje Osvadić
Executive Producer: Sinead Kirwan
Production Companies: Varda Pictures in co-production with Petnaesta Umjetnost/p>
Screen Scotland support: The film accessed £100,000 through Screen Scotland’s Film Development and Production Fund
Synopsis
At the end of a secluded Edinburgh street is a four-story building housing formerly homeless men, many of whom have struggled with addiction. Unlike most organisations, this place provides permanent housing where the men can drink inside their flats and live as they choose.
On the top floor, Billy and Ronnie's friendship falters due to jealousy. Stevie battles vodka withdrawals before rehab, while Gerry and Donald lead opposing lives on the first floor - Donald relapses as Gerry celebrates two years of sobriety.
Starting at the surface level of alcoholism in an observational style, the men then challenge this label, revealing the human stories beneath. Billy and Ronnie's violence, Stevie’s rehab, Donald’s guilt, and Gerry’s redemption. Confronting these deeper emotional bonds, the men offer a profound exploration of their lives beyond the label of "alcoholic".
The intertwined lives of these men reveal the complexity of addiction and how they are trying to move through it by unravelling past traumas.
More information
Filming locations: Edinburgh, Scotland
Premiere: The film will have its UK Premiere as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in November 2026.
Image credits: Stills courtesy of Nadja Lapcevic