‘Glenrothan’ review: Actor Brian Cox’s directorial debut is overworked Scottish family drama

Dir: Brian Cox. UK. 2025. 97mins

Actor Brian Cox’s directorial debut Glenrothan proves to be a dramatic misfire. Cox additionally stars as Sandy, the gloomy proprietor of a whiskey distillery who writes to ask his estranged brother Donal (Alan Cumming) to return to the Scottish Highlands within the hope of reconciliation. What may have been a by-the-numbers inspirational household film is spoiled by the shortage of narrative emotion and cinematic storytelling. 

 The shoddy script additionally infects the performances

Written by David Ashton, whose long-running BBC Radio drama collection McLevy starred Cox, the Lionsgate movie will definitely be hoping to journey Cox’s Succession wave. Longtime followers of the actor’s storied profession of enjoying sullen males on stage and display may be stunned by his gentler strategy right here. But, it’s possible that not even the star energy of Cox and Cumming—who beforehand did a Carpool Karaoke collectively—will be capable to preserve the movie alive previous its world premiere in Toronto. 

The movie does have an intriguing set-up. Almost 40 years in the past, Donal left his small Scottish village for Chicago, the place he opened a blues membership and have become a printed writer. On the nightspot, his daughter Amy (Alexandra Shipp) serves as a bartender and singer. When his membership all of a sudden burns down, it’s Amy who suggests they, alongside along with her daughter Sasha, go to Sandy after receiving his letter complaining of poor well being. For Donal, the return brings unhealthy reminiscences of an abusive father, a deceased mom, and a star-crossed ex in Jess (Shirley Henderson). 

It doesn’t take lengthy for Glenrothan to fly off the rails. When Donal arrives residence in Scotland he instantly takes a number of walks containing a number of flashbacks to fill viewers in on his teenage years when he owned a motorbike and dated Jess. In one other occasion, he recollects his mom pleading with him to by no means come again to their dead-end village. Every flashback is an apparent gap-filler executed with little panache. Elsewhere, the camerawork is equally as unhealthy: a efficiency by Donal in a pub possesses some queasy handheld footage. Incessantly the digital camera intrudes reasonably than offering visible focus.

As soon as the movie actually will get buzzing, clunky dialogue begins poking by. When Donal returns to Sandy’s home, the voice of his father from the previous yells, “Don’t present your face once more!” The shoddy script additionally infects the performances, forcing Henderson to scream half her traces.

Cumming doesn’t fare a lot better as a result of he doesn’t know if he’s meant to play a scoundrel, a genius or a grifter. His character beats are so predictable—you possibly can see his need to promote his household’s 200-year-old distillery from a mile away – so his dramatic decisions lack punch. The one actor who comes out unscathed is Cox. However he doesn’t even movie himself properly, undercutting his personal efficiency by punching out and in from a close-up throughout his huge ultimate speech. 

And whereas Glenrothan is in the end about cohesion, familial forgiveness, dealing with your previous and imagining a brand new future, none of these themes – regardless of the emotionally loud rating – discover any poignancy on this overworked movie. As a substitute it has 4 false endings and Cumming’s narration over the credit attempting to tie each free finish collectively for a contented grace notice that by no means appears to reach.