‘7 Miles Out,’ Starring Lucy Halliday, Tells a Coming-of-Age Story Full of Grief, Music and Friendship
Carol Morley has adapted her semi-autobiographical novel into *7 Miles Out*, a coming-of-age film set in Stockport during the 1970s and 1980s. Lucy Halliday plays Ann, who faces her father’s death and finds refuge in punk music and friendship; the story explores how grief can shape a life while leaving room for creativity, joy and hope.
After Ann’s friend Hel leaves town and Joy Division singer Ian Curtis dies by suicide, Ann struggles and turns to alcohol and casual sex. A rediscovered cassette and a renewed connection to her past may help her begin again. The film features music by Joy Division, New Order and others, with original songs written by Morley and Carly Paradis; it is due in UK and Irish cinemas in 2027 after its London Film Festival premiere.
- Lucy Halliday stars in Carol Morley’s Stockport-set coming-of-age film.
- Ann copes with grief through punk music and friendship.
- The film is due in UK and Irish cinemas in 2027.
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Stockport is a town near Manchester, and punk and post-punk music became part of the cultural life of northern England in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Joy Division, formed in nearby Salford, became one of the era’s best-known bands; after singer Ian Curtis died in 1980, the other members went on to form New Order.
Carol Morley’s semi-autobiographical novel draws on this period to tell the story of Ann, a young woman coping with loss and changing friendships. The film uses music and memories of adolescence to explore how grief, family and the people around us can shape the course of a life.