Netflix debuted the official teaser trailer for Ballad of a Small Player, a sleek new psychological thriller film from Edward Berger, the Oscar-winning director of All Quiet on the Western Front. The film stars Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle, a high-stakes gambler hiding out in the neon-soaked casinos of Macau. He’s joined by Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, and Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, who plays the relentless private investigator Cynthia Blithe.
Ballad of a Small Player will premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release in the U.S. beginning October 15, with subsequent launches in the U.K. and Ireland on October 17. From there, it lands on Netflix globally on October 29, 2025.
Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) is laying low in Macau – spending his days and nights on the casino floors, drinking heavily and gambling what little money he has left. Struggling to keep up with his fast-rising debts, he is offered a lifeline by the mysterious Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino employee with secrets of her own. However, in hot pursuit is Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) – a private investigator ready to confront Doyle with what he is running from. As Doyle tries to climb to salvation, the confines of reality start to close in.
Edward Berger has described how this film differs from his previous works: “If Conclave was a well-constructed chess game, very architectural, Ballad of a Small Player embraces chaos and opera.”
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