A 14-minute short film starring Paul Mescal is set to stream as part of this year’s Dublin International Film Festival. Titled Drifting, the film revolves around two friends, charting their lives as they begin to grow apart. 

The Normal People actor will play Cian, who “is content to coast through a life of booze and casual hook-ups” according to a synopsis. Meanwhile, his best friend Pat (Dafhyd Flynn) “has begun to grow weary of his surroundings”.

Premiered in 2020, Drifting is co-written and co-directed by filmmaker Robert Higgins, who made the announcement via Twitter. With the whole Dublin Film Festival held virtually this year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the film will be available to watch online from March 3 to March 14.

Since Normal People, Mescal has also starred in The Deceived – a four-part psychological thriller written by Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee – plus music videos for the Rolling Stones’ “Scarlet” and Phoebe Bridgers’ “Savior Complex”. 

In September last year, it was announced that he will join Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming film adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel The Lost Daughter.

View the Dublin International Film Festival programme for more information on Drifting, and watch the 2020 trailer below.