TIFF 50 will host the world premiere of Jan Komasa’s twisted family thriller.
TIFF audiences are about to get a chilling new entry from Academy Award–nominated director Jan Komasa. His latest film, Good Boy, debuts September 5 in the festival’s Centrepiece section, and the first look clip offers a glimpse into what promises to be one of the most disturbing and talked-about titles of the fall.
The thriller follows 19-year-old Tommy (Anson Boon), a violent, wayward teenager who spirals through drugs and reckless nights before waking up chained in the basement of a suburban family home. The house belongs to Chris (Stephen Graham), his eerie wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough), and their young son (Kit Rakusen). What begins as imprisonment unfolds into a psychological war, as the family attempts to “reform” Tommy through relentless mind games, forcing him to choose between submission and escape at any cost.
For Graham, Good Boy comes on the heels of a career high point. Earlier this year he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in Netflix’s Adolescence, the searingly personal miniseries that has already picked up major awards buzz for its raw depiction of class, fatherhood, and survival in post-industrial Britain. That acclaim makes his turn here as a sinister patriarch even more unnerving — a reminder of his ability to swing between vulnerability and menace with terrifying ease.
Watch the Exclusive First Look Clip:
Komasa, best known for Corpus Christi (2019), collaborates with writers Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid to craft a dark fairy tale laced with dread and domestic unease. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Ewa Piakowska, the 110-minute thriller blurs the line between punishment and indoctrination, with Graham and Riseborough embodying a couple whose calm surface barely conceals the madness beneath.
The film’s debut marks another step in Graham’s string of challenging, career-defining roles, while Riseborough — who continues to move effortlessly between prestige indies and genre provocations — adds another unsettling performance to her roster.
Good Boy premieres at TIFF Lightbox Cinema 1 on Friday, September 5, with additional screenings scheduled for September 6, 8, and 12. With its unnerving premise, powerhouse cast, and Komasa’s sharp eye, this is one TIFF title certain to provoke conversation long after the credits roll.
