London after dark has a way of throwing the right strangers together at the exact wrong moment — and Verve Pictures’ new release A Night Like This leans into that thrilling chaos with heart, humour and a bruised queer tenderness.

The film marks a double debut: the first feature from writer-producer Diego Scerrati and the directing debut of Liam Calvert — a bold creative teaming that brings a fresh, intimate voice to LGBTQ+ cinema. Front and centre are two familiar faces to queer audiences: Alexander Lincoln (In From The Side, Emmerdale) as Oliver, a charming nightclub owner staring down bankruptcy, and Jack Brett Anderson (The Great, Domina, Wolfblood) as Lukas, a 30-something actor whose dream career has stalled before it ever really began.

When these two men — both nursing disappointments over a lonely pint — decide to escape their problems together, one chilly London night unfolds into bar-hopping, rule-breaking and the kind of deep, vulnerable conversations you only ever have with someone you’ve just met. Over the course of a few hours, their laughter, flirtations and uncomfortable truths reveal not just who they are, but who they might still become.

To celebrate the film’s release, we caught up with Liam to talk queer storytelling, messy men, and why the most revealing moments of your life often happen around 3am — with a stranger you never expected to meet.

What was it about Diego’s screenplay that resonated most deeply with you as a director?

Perhaps the thing I’m most drawn to in any script is the characters. I look for three-dimensional, relatable people who make interesting but believable choices and have engaging, fulfilling journeys. That was certainly the case here with Lukas and Oliver.

When I first read the script, I was taken aback by how flawed and vulnerable they were, but in an incredibly relatable and realistic way. I was having a somewhat tumultuous time in my life with work and a relationship when I read it, so I really connected with the feelings of being lost and not knowing your purpose, of feeling like you’ve gone down the wrong path and can’t turn back. I wanted to take the script and develop it for the screen so audiences could meet these characters and relate to them.

A Night Like This marks your directorial debut. What drew you to this story, and what made you feel it had to be your first feature? 

In the short films I’d made previously, I hadn’t explored any queer subjects, despite queer cinema being a passion of mine. So I was very eager to make my debut feature a queer one. I was inspired by how relatable and realistic the story was, while also exploring a moving and important connection between two men.

I’m so grateful to have had my directorial debut contribute to the gamut of queer cinema, a world I’ve loved and admired since I was young and first engaging with filmmaking.

How do you feel the film fits into the current landscape of queer cinema — and where do you hope to take your storytelling next?

I feel A Night Like This fits within the realist, contemplative, romantic side of queer cinema. That’s the area I watched most in preparation and pulled influences from, such as Andrew Haigh’s Weekend. It’s always been a favourite of mine for how it finds magic and romance within a realistic look at life. I wanted A Night Like This to feel similar: a down-to-earth, believable interaction between two people, not too fantastical or heightened.

Weekend was such a beautiful film, particularly in how ordinary its two leads were portrayed and how their relationship was shown on screen. I’d also hope A Night Like This sits alongside other “one-night” examples, such as the brilliant Théo & Hugo or the classic Trick.

In terms of what’s next, I want to stick with queer cinema but move more into genre films. I’ve always loved horror and sci-fi, so telling queer stories in those spaces would be a dream. In particular, I’d love to make some incidentally queer stories, following queer characters in genre-typical narratives rather than the whole film being “Queer” with a capital Q. But don’t get me wrong, I’d also love to make an incredibly gay, camp, and sexy slasher one day!

Lukas and Oliver are both lost, flawed, and a little drunk — in the best way. What did you want audiences to see in them?

I wanted audiences to form an initial impression of Lukas and Oliver and then have that impression challenged as the film unfolds.

This was easier with Oliver since, in his first appearance, he’s brash, loud, and frankly irritating. But as the film continues, we peel back those layers and preconceptions to find he’s actually charming, thoughtful, and more lost than he lets on. It was more of a challenge with Lukas, as he’s more closed off and less extroverted, so revealing his personality and story gradually allows the audience’s perception of him to evolve.

Ultimately, I wanted audiences to see that despite their differences, they’re both two lost souls who needed connection and to feel heard, something that helps them move in the right direction and find a bit of light in their lives. And perhaps that’s what a lot of people need nowadays.

Alexander Lincoln and Jack Brett Anderson have incredible chemistry. What was the secret to building that onscreen spark?

In all honesty, their connection was there from day one! The two got along so well despite having never met before. When we did a chemistry read, we knew we had something special.

During rehearsals, it was important to develop their relationship believably, to strike the right tone between Oliver’s blowhard nature and Lukas’ misanthropic tendencies while also finding the charm and vulnerability in both. I pushed to shoot mostly in chronological order, which definitely helped their chemistry deepen naturally as they worked together. By the time we shot their final scenes together on the last few days, their connection was palpable, which made the climactic scenes even more heightened.

The film’s tone is warm, raw, and deeply human. How did you find that emotional balance as a first-time director?

It was definitely a challenge, to balance the emotional weight of the story without making it too heavy or conversely skimming through it cheaply. My previous shorts were all character pieces, so I had experience directing actors through heavy, dramatic conversations and finding the balance between script and performance.

For A Night Like This, we rehearsed a lot to find the right tone and rhythm, treating the dialogue almost like stage work, with monologues and intense back-and-forth exchanges. I also encouraged the actors to make the lines their own to keep it realistic and grounded, especially when emotions ran high.

Having a small, intimate crew helped enormously. It allowed the actors to feel comfortable and relaxed, which let them dive deeper into their performances.

London at night becomes almost a third character — what does the city mean to you in this story?

London represents a lot of different things. At the start of the film, it’s isolating for Lukas being in such a big city surrounded by people only makes him feel more alone, especially at Christmas, when everyone else seems to be celebrating with friends and family. I remember feeling that way myself when I first moved to the city – lost, out of place, like I didn’t belong.

But the city also offers chances for connection if you allow it. Oliver thrusts himself into Lukas’ path, and Lukas has many opportunities to walk away. But when he agrees to that drink, it changes the course of his night and perhaps his life. That reflects my own philosophy about London: yes, it’s massive and hard to navigate, but if you open yourself up to possibility, say hi to someone next to you (unheard of, I know!), you never know what can happen. Maybe it’ll just be a brief chat on the tube, or maybe something more.

A Night Like This has been called “a refreshing take on queer connection.” What does authentic queer storytelling look like to you?

For me, authentic queer storytelling comes from having a multitude of different stories. There’s no one way of being queer, so no single piece of work or character can serve as a perfect example. Showing queer lives and experiences that haven’t been depicted as often adds depth and breadth to the conversation.

In this film, it was important to show a connection that wasn’t about sex or physical intimacy, but about emotional and soulful connection between two men. While sex is obviously an important part of being gay, it’s not the sum of the experience. I also wanted to touch on some of the less glamorous, less spoken-about aspects of queer life, such as the higher rates of depression or substance abuse among LGBT+ people.

Making your debut film about two men searching for meaning feels personal — what did you discover about yourself in the process?

The film came at a very tumultuous time in my life. I’d just uprooted myself and moved to London, was newly single for the first time in years, and was taking on the pressure of directing my first feature. So there was a lot going on!

But all that energy helped me relate deeply to the story, to that search for meaning and identity. Like Lukas and Oliver, I came out of the experience with more confidence in who I was and who I wanted to be. I had much more faith in my filmmaking and directing abilities after pulling off a feature, and more faith in myself as a person overall.

In fact, the film inspired me to connect more with people, both friends and strangers. A few months after filming, I struck up a conversation with a cute guy next to me at a music festival, and he’s now my partner!

Who are your role models and what are your next plans?

One big role model, as I’ve mentioned, is Andrew Haigh. His beautiful filmography has always inspired me, and I always look forward to what he creates next. I also admire a number of queer writers and directors who’ve blazed trails in genre spaces, such as Christopher Landon, Don Mancini, Kevin Williamson, and Joel Schumacher. (Chris O’Donnell in Batman Forever was my gay awakening before I even knew it!)

As for what’s next, I have a few projects in development. I’m working on an episode of a queer horror anthology series that’ll be very different from A Night Like This, and I’m also developing a gay romance film with a few producers. Alongside that, I’m continuing to write a few scripts of my own, so hopefully, it won’t be long before the next project comes to life.

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A Night Like This is available to rent from Amazon, BFI Player, Google TV, Rakuten, Sky Store and Virgin Movies from the 27th October. It is also releasing on DVD & Blu-ray from the 24th November, and is available for pre-order now.