New British Drama ‘The State of Us’ Tackles Friendship and Loss Head-On

Two young British actors are bringing an intimate story of friendship and mortality to the screen in ‘The State of Us’, a debut feature that’s generating buzz ahead of its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Samuel Bottomley and Callum Scott Howells star as Frankie and Taylor, best friends facing an impossible situation. When Taylor is dying in hospice care, Frankie makes a desperate choice: he breaks his friend out for one final night together. What was supposed to be a carefree adventure quickly transforms into something far more profound, as the pair grapple with grief, mortality and what it means to say goodbye.

Directors Ollie Gardner and Jake Harvey have crafted what the Edinburgh festival is calling “a fresh and humane exploration of male friendship, grief and acceptance.” The 90-minute film balances its heavy subject matter with moments of humor and hope, using one night of chaos and connection to explore how people process loss before it even arrives.

“Rather than focusing solely on illness and loss, the film uses their final night together to examine how people deal with grief,” says the festival description. It’s an approach that feels refreshingly human celebrating life while confronting death.

The supporting cast rounds out the ensemble with Frances Barber, Safia Oakley-Green, Seamus O’Hara and Sunetra Sarker. This is a directorial debut for both Gardner and Harvey, who also wrote the screenplay.

‘The State of Us’ hits Edinburgh screens starting August 14, with additional showings scheduled through August 18. It’s the kind of intimate British drama that could find real resonance with audiences looking for stories that don’t shy away from difficult emotions.