Bulk (film)

Bulk
Directed byBen Wheatley
Written byBen Wheatley
Produced byAndy Starke
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed byAnti-Worlds Releasing
Release date
Running time
90 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Bulk (stylised as BULK) is a 2025 independent British science fiction thriller film written and directed by Ben Wheatley, and starring Sam Riley, Alexandra Maria Lara, Mark Monero, and Noah Taylor.

Cast

Production

The film is from Ben Wheatley and produced by Andy Starke of Rook Films and financed by Film4 for whom the film was executive produced by Ollie Madden and David Kimbangi.[2] The film was shot on camcorders, iPhones, Go Pros and SVHS. Wheatley wrote the credits himself and made models for the film, including helicopters and aeroplanes.[3] The film's music was also composed by Wheatley, under the alias Dave Welder.[4]

The cast includes Sam Riley, Alexandra Maria Lara, Mark Monero, and Noah Taylor.[5][3]

Speaking to the Empire Film Podcast, Riley said the film was shot over two weeks in a house in Brighton, with all the dialogue recorded post-sync in Berlin, because there wasn't space in the house for a sound crew.[6]

Release

The film premiered at the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 14 August 2025.[7] It also screened at Fantastic Fest,[8] Imagine Film Festival,[9] MOTELX,[10] Beyond Fest,[11] Fantaspoa,[12] and the Sitges Film Festival.[13]

In January and February 2026, the film was screened in cinemas around the UK and the Republic of Ireland on the Narrative is Tyranny tour, with screenings followed by Q&A sessions with Wheatley.[14]

Reception

Guy Lodge for Variety praised the film for having "mischief" and "energy and wit", describing it as a "hybrid of conspiracy thriller, time-bending sci-fi and goofy genre parody".[15]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[16]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2025 Sitges Film Festival Best Film Bulk Nominated [17]
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival Crossovers Prize Nominated [18]
Imagine Film Festival Méliès d'Argent Award Nominated [9]
2026 Fantaspoa Nominated [12]

References

  1. ↑ "Bulk (15)". BBFC. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  2. ↑ Ntim, Zac (May 9, 2025). "Edinburgh Film Festival To Open Midnight Madness Strand With Secret Ben Wheatley Film 'BULK'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Macnab, Geoffrey (August 14, 2025). "Ben Wheatley on why he chose to make EIFF Midnight Madness title 'Bulk' in secret". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ Wray, Daniel Dylan (January 11, 2026). "'It's more productive than doomscrolling': film-maker Ben Wheatley on his secret life as musician Dave Welder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ Travis, Ben (August 6, 2025). "Bulk: Ben Wheatley Returns With Experimental Sci-Fi – Trailer Exclusive". Empireonline. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Empire Film Podcast: A Clint in the eye (featuring Sam Riley, Hugh Bonneville & Allen Leach". Podcasts.Apple. September 12, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ Mottram, James (August 15, 2025). "BEN WHEATLEY ON BULK: 'IT'S A MIDNIGHT CINEMA EXPERIENCE'". List.co.uk. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Bulk". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Bulk". Imagine Filmfestival Amsterdam. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Bulk". MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Bulk". Beyond Fest. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Bulk | Fantaspoa - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantástico de Porto Alegre". Fantaspoa (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Press Conference - Encounter Bulk With Ben Weathley". Sitges Film Festival. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Bulk - Narrative is Tyranny Tour". Rook Films. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  15. ↑ Lodge, Guy (August 19, 2025). "'Bulk' Review: Ben Wheatley Goes Mischievously Back to Basics". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Bulk". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Ester (September 23, 2025). "Sitges Film Festival 2025: Celebrities and talents confirmed for the 58th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia". VisitSitges. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Bulk – FEFFS" (in French). Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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