Ballad of a Small Player Trailer and Poster Released

Netflix has shared the official trailer and poster for Ballad of a Small Player, which is set to debut in select theaters on October 15, 2025, and will be available to stream globally on Netflix starting October 29.

Edward Berger continues his streak of artfully adapting books to the screen with Ballad of a Small Player. After his Oscar-winning films All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, the German director turns to Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, adapted for film by Rowan Joffé (28 Weeks Later, The American).

In the film, Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell) is lying 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.

Ballad of a Small Player is directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave) and stars Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, and Tilda Swinton.

Berger’s behind-the-scenes talent includes two of his Oscar-winning collaborators from All Quiet on the Western Front: director of photography James Friend and composer Volker Bertelmann.

Joining Berger on Ballad of a Small Player are producers Mike Goodridge (Triangle of Sadness) and Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday), production designer Jonathan Houlding (Poor Things, The Martian), makeup & hair designer Heike Merker (All Quiet on the Western Front, Cloud Atlas), costume designer Lisy Christl (All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave), and editor Nick Emerson (Conclave, Lady Macbeth).

The film, which has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) for language and suicide, was also produced by Berger.