Glenrothan and Brian Cox’s first turn behind the camera lands in cinemas
glenrothan arrives with Brian Cox making his directorial debut at age 79, while also starring as Sandy, the distillery boss at the centre of the story. The film opens in UK cinemas on 17 April, with a later release set for 25 June in Australia. In glenrothan, Cox says the role of Sandy feels closest to the real man behind the screen image he built over decades.
Inside glenrothan
glenrothan follows two brothers whose family run a whisky distillery in the Highlands. Donal, played by Alan Cumming, left for America after a painful family break, and returns 35 years later to face the brother he left behind.
Sandy now faces the possibility of selling the distillery if Donal does not take over. The setup gives glenrothan a clear family and inheritance tension, with the story built around regret, duty and the pressure of what happens next.
Filming took place in locations around Scotland, including the Stirlingshire village of Gartmore. Cox has described glenrothan as a love letter to Scotland and said it is meant to bring some needed lightness in troubled times.
Why Cox took the job
Cox said he had never seriously thought about directing before. He said he was busy being an actor and enjoying acting, until producer Neil Zeiger pushed him toward the role behind the camera as well as in front of it.
He also said he is often associated with hard, heavy characters, but that Sandy is different. In Cox’s words, Sandy is a beautiful person and a tragic person too. That idea sits at the heart of glenrothan, where the distillery owner is presented less as a showman and more as a man under strain.
David Ashton wrote the screenplay. Ashton also wrote the radio series McLevy and had a long creative partnership with Neil Zeiger, who helped persuade Cox to direct.
Reactions around the film
Cox has framed glenrothan as a film about human beings, not war machines, saying audiences need to be reminded of humanity and what people are capable of beyond conflict. That message gives the film a broader emotional purpose than its family argument alone.
The cast also includes Shirley Henderson as Jess, the fiercely competent figure helping run the distillery. The family story is sharpened by the return of Donal with his daughter Amy, played by Alexandra Shipp, and his granddaughter Sasha, played by Alexandra Wilkie.
What comes next for glenrothan
glenrothan now moves into release, with its UK cinema run beginning on 17 April and its Australian release following on 25 June. For Cox, the film marks a new chapter: a first directing credit built around a Highland family drama, a Scotland setting, and a role in glenrothan that he clearly sees as one of his most personal.
