500 Miles

Open your heart to the endless beautiful landscapes of Ireland, as well as to a deeply dramatic story, because 500 Miles will definitely make you feel something.

Morgan Matthews’ film tells the story of two brothers, Finn and Charlie, who, after overhearing a conversation about their parents getting divorced, decide to travel from the UK to Ireland in hopes that their grandfather might somehow help calm the situation down and make things better. The thing is, they haven’t spoken to him in a long time — and the film takes its time before revealing why.

We follow the long and incredibly winding journey of two underage kids who, with all the naivety and blind positivity that comes with their age, try to find comfort and answers to questions they do not fully understand themselves. With every new mile they pass, the film slowly reveals more backstory, adding more and more important details that explain why everything on screen is happening the way it is.

I will say right away that the film contains a very important plot twist that nobody in their right mind should spoil for you, because it is something you truly need to experience yourself while watching it unfold on screen. But once that moment arrives, everything clicks into place, and the story suddenly feels complete and fully realized. The only thing it really demands from the viewer is patience, because it develops very slowly and in a very deliberate, almost dragging way at times, and you have to be prepared for that going in.

The supporting characters also do a fantastic job helping our protagonists open up more. Some help them during their journey, some try to catch up with them — like their parents — while others we only get to know through flashbacks. In the end, this very small but intimate cast works incredibly well together.

Of course, the true stars of the film are the two brothers themselves. Finn is played by Roman Griffin Davis, who famously broke through with his incredible leading performance in Jojo Rabbit back in 2019. Since then, he has appeared in projects like The Long Walk and Greenland 2: Migration. He is unbelievably charismatic here and does a fantastic job portraying a caring and loving older brother who still does not fully understand everything happening around him. Meanwhile, the younger brother is played by Dexter Sol Ansell, who previously appeared in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes as young Snow. He is incredibly sweet and genuinely adorable on screen, delivering an impressively strong performance despite his very young age. Bill Nighy, Maisie Williams, Clare Dunne, and Michael Socha all do a great job supporting the story and keeping it afloat even during the moments when it feels like it starts dragging a little bit.

In the end we get a pretty heavy and emotional, but deeply caring story about love, responsibility, growing up, acceptance, brotherhood, and complicated family bonds that, even though they are already broken, get tested one more time.

This film feels endless in the same way the green fields and hills of Ireland do. And if you are willing to give it your time and attention, there is a good chance it will really work for you.

8.5/10

Thanks to Best Film for the screening. 500 Miles is opening in Ireland on May 15 and in Great Britain on June 26. The rest of Europe follows later this summer.