Irish actress Saoirse Ronan can be seen searching for her missing son in the trailer for Sir Steve McQueen’s historical drama Blitz.
The film, set during the Second World War, follows the journey of a nine-year-old boy called George, played by Elliott Heffernan, who embarks on a journey home to east London after his mother sends him to the English countryside.
The trailer’s opening shot sees George walking in the darkness through a tunnel as sirens wail in the background.
A boy’s journey. A mother’s love. Miles of burning city between them.
Saoirse Ronan stars in the new film Blitz, from Academy Award Winner Steve McQueen. In select theaters November 1, streaming on Apple TV+ November 22 pic.twitter.com/77Nm0ajNWP
— Apple Original Films (@AppleFilms) September 19, 2024
Other scenes show the young boy watching on as the capital becomes a site of destruction amid the bombings.
George’s mother Rita, played by Little Women star Ronan, 30, grows frustrated after she is told her son has not arrived at his destination.
She appears in another clip wearing a blue uniform, red lipstick and headscarf as she stands on a podium to tell a room filled with people: “This is for all the parents whose children have been evacuated and for my boy George”.
Cast members include The Iron Claw actor Harris Dickinson, comedian Kathy Burke, composer Benjamin Clementine, Boiling Point actor Stephen Graham, and A Very English Scandal star Alex Jennings.
Also starring in the drama is singer-songwriter Paul Weller as George’s grandfather Gerald.
Sir Steve, whose film 12 Years A Slave won Oscars for writing and best picture a decade ago, was given his knighthood for services to art and film by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle in 2022.
He won the prestigious Turner Prize in 1999 and was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for services to the visual arts.
In 2020, he released Small Axe, a film series set in London’s West Indian community, and also co-directed Uprising, a three-part documentary series exploring key events in race relations in Britain.
The world premiere of Sir Steve’s new film is set to open the 68th BFI London Film Festival in October.
Blitz will be in select theatres from November 1 and will stream on Apple TV+ from November 22.
