The Fifth Step (NT Live)

David Ireland's play, drawn from his own experience, puts two men in a church basement with black coffee and a twelve-step programme. Martin Freeman plays James, a sponsor who has been through the mill; Jack Lowden is Luka, the newcomer he is guiding. The recording runs a lean 87 minutes, and the tension sits almost entirely on the two actors — the fifth step, where you admit your wrongs to another person, is where the floor gives way. The writing is blunt and darkly funny, and it does not let either character off the hook. This is an NT Live capture, so you are watching a live performance filmed for cinema. It opens in Hong Kong on 31 August 2026. No certificate is listed, but the subject matter — addiction, confession, the wreckage people leave behind — means it is not one for young children. Check local listings for venues and sessions.