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Ish

Play trailer Poster for Ish 2025 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 13 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
12-year-old Ismail "Ish" Zia, a British Bangladeshi boy from Luton, grapples with profound loss, fractured friendships, and cultural identity during one transformative summer. Still reeling from his mother's recent death, Ish navigates a strained bond with his best friend Maram, while confronting the harsh realities of being a young brown man in post-9/11 Britain--where suspicion and prejudice amplify his isolation. Family tensions escalate alongside community pressures, forcing Ish to question his place in a world that feels increasingly hostile, as grief threatens to overwhelm his young heart. Amid these challenges, he discovers unexpected allies who offer genuine understanding, helping him rebuild step by step. Through small acts of connection and resilience, Ish learns to channel his pain into personal strength, uncovering that healing emerges from vulnerability and the courage to forge new paths forward--even when surrounded by darkness.

Critics Reviews

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Danny Leigh Financial Times 21h
4/5
...Perretta has made a debut that sings with empathy, insight and images that fix in your head — the celestial glow of a fairground ride, a knowing nod, and yes, a bicycle, torn from a kid. Go to Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times 22h
4/5
[The chemistry between the two leads] provides a rare emotional weight. Whether building dens under Luton Airport’s flight paths, tearing through suburban streets on bikes or trying to impress older boys, their relationship never feels performed. Go to Full Review Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 2d
4/5
in the end this is a sensitive film about the nurturing power of family, the nourishing value of tradition and the toxicity of violence. It’s quite the debut. Go to Full Review Emma Simmonds The List 4h
4/5
Evoking the likes of Kes, the Apu trilogy, The 400 Blows, Bicycle Thieves and Ratcatcher, this stylistically sophisticated film is a triumph of sublime imagery, sympathetically capturing the tumult of pre-teen life and othering of its protagonists. Go to Full Review Patrick Gamble The Skinny 3d
4/5
Perretta's formal choices are precise and mutually reinforcing. The film's black-and-white palette echoes the CCTV footage spliced throughout, collapsing the distance between aesthetic and subject... Go to Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews 4d
3.5/5
Ish contains classic tropes of coming-of-age stories [...] but it also has added layers of societal commentaries, invigorating a genre that has been seen countless times in film history. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Imran Perretta

Director

Zubin Varla

Hanan

Sagar Arya

Mr. Ahmed

Sudha Bhuchar

Nanu

Robert Ryan

Car buyer

Avin Shah

Naeem
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Ish

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Movie Info

Synopsis 12-year-old Ismail "Ish" Zia, a British Bangladeshi boy from Luton, grapples with profound loss, fractured friendships, and cultural identity during one transformative summer. Still reeling from his mother's recent death, Ish navigates a strained bond with his best friend Maram, while confronting the harsh realities of being a young brown man in post-9/11 Britain--where suspicion and prejudice amplify his isolation. Family tensions escalate alongside community pressures, forcing Ish to question his place in a world that feels increasingly hostile, as grief threatens to overwhelm his young heart. Amid these challenges, he discovers unexpected allies who offer genuine understanding, helping him rebuild step by step. Through small acts of connection and resilience, Ish learns to channel his pain into personal strength, uncovering that healing emerges from vulnerability and the courage to forge new paths forward--even when surrounded by darkness.
Director
Imran Perretta
Producer
Bennett McGhee
Screenwriter
Enda Walsh, Imran Perretta
Production Co
Primal Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 30m