A Long Winter (in person: Andrew Haigh, Fred Hechinger)

 

Andrew Haigh: A Long Winter (GB 2026). Fred Hechinger as Mike.

Telluride Film Festival (TFF) 2026

Viewed at Chuck Jones' Cinema, Mountain Village, 5 Sep 2026

TFF 2026 Program Guide:

P/Fri 5:45PM - C/Sat 12:45PM - G/Sun 9:15PM - H/Mon 9AM Q&A

1a A Long Winter

Larry Gross (TFF): "Writer-director Andrew Haigh transposes Colm Tóibín’s acclaimed novella to the rugged landscape of the American Rocky Mountains in the 1950s. Lester (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Louise (Caitríona Balfe) and their two sons Tom (Kit Connor) and Mike (Fred Hechinger) scratch out a precarious living raising chickens and rabbits. When Tom departs for army service in Korea, and Louise abandons the home in an alcoholic fury, Lester and Mike begin a desperate search to find her while attempting to sort out their troubles with neighbors, family members and each other. Haigh’s previous films (ALL OF US STRANGERS, LEAN ON PETE, 45 YEARS) have explored, in visionary ways, the nuances of human connection. Here, aided by the breathtaking mountain cinematography by André Turpin, he suggests the ways in which we are simultaneously truly alone in the world and in desperate need of one another. The performances, as always in Haigh’s films, are superb." –LG (U.K., 2026, 114m) In person: Andrew Haigh, Fred Hechinger, Caitríona Balfe, Colm Tóibín

AA: It is a privileged opportunity to watch Andrew Haigh's new movie A Long Winter in Telluride, since Haigh has transposed the events of Colm Tóibín's novella from Spain to - Telluride. Although the film has been shot in Alberta, Canada, the magnificent landscapes look remarkably similar to what we have just witnessed on the gondola ride to Mountain Village. The difference is that our early autumn mountain air is so crisp and clear that we can see everything in incredibly sharp detail until the greatest distance. Whereas in the late autumn, winter and early spring circumstances of A Long Winter the views are always notably hazier.

The landscapes are what can be called sublime in the strictest classical sense of the word - overwhelming, transcending the limits of understanding. Eagles soaring in the sky add perspective to the vision. Vultures appear as a powerful image of death. In these elevated surroundings takes place a family tragedy honestly and lovingly observed by Andrew Haigh with great performances by Caitriona Balfe as Louise, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as her husband Lester and Fred Hechinger and Kit Connor as her two sons Mike and Tom.

Louise leaves the mountain household just as the winter snow starts falling. Apparently when the snow arrives, it comes all at once and stays until spring, as Louise must know. When the search parties are launched, everybody already suspects the worst. The mystery of Louise's disappearance is gradually unveiled. She is a city woman who has lived in the mountains against her wishes. In consolation, she has turned to the bottle and become an alcoholic. She loves her sons dearly but has a troubled relationship with Lester. Tom is fighting in the Korean War. A Long Winter becomes the story of Lester in search of the mystery of his mother and his own sexual identity.

Andrew Haigh combines powerfully the majestic sense of nature and the aching struggle of Lester's Bildungsroman. He achieves spiritual grandeur on a perfectly human scale. At times there is a sense of lethargy, the signature ailment of post-Covid cinema. We are distracted by remote work and the virtual addiction which does not leave us even when there is a ban of mobile devices on set. We are no longer fully living in reality.