'Four Letters of Love': Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter Lead Irish Romance This Summer

Four Letters of Love, the long-awaited adaptation of Niall Williams’s 1997 novel, is finally making its way to audiences — but not in the way some fans might have expected. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter, Gabriel Byrne, Fionn O’Shea, and Ann Skelly, the film will debut in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on July 18, 2025, followed by a limited theatrical and digital release in the US on July 25. In a surprise move, it will also be available to stream for free in the US on Plex starting the same day, though it is not a Netflix original and will not be available there.

The trailer for the film was released in May 2025, showcasing the film’s lush Irish landscapes and romantic tone. Filmed in the rugged beauty of western Ireland, Four Letters of Love is set in the 1970s and follows the fated romance between Nicholas (played by Fionn O’Shea) and Isabel (Ann Skelly).

Pierce Brosnan plays Nicholas’s father, a civil servant who abandons his job after a spiritual awakening to become a painter, while Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne play Isabel’s emotionally complex parents.

Though early critical reception has been mixed, reviewers have praised the film’s visual richness while critiquing its reliance on voiceover and sentimental tropes. The Times called it "cinematic cliche" while The Guardian likened it to Nicholas Sparks with an Irish twist — beautiful, wistful, but perhaps a little too syrupy.

Still, for fans of sweeping romances, lyrical storytelling, and Ireland’s cinematic charm, Four Letters of Love may offer just the kind of nostalgic summer watch they’re hoping for.