‘Crushed’ film debuts on VOD November 3
Breaking Glass Pictures has scheduled the November 3 release of Crushed across iTunes, Amazon, Google, Fandango and Dish/Sling. The New York announcement dated October 27, 2026, positions the title for immediate availability on those services. The company is handling domestic distribution for the Thailand-shot feature.
The story follows Father Daniel, an English vicar in suburban Bangkok whose faith reaches a breaking point after the abduction of his ten-year-old daughter Olivia. Steve Oram portrays the clergyman who, alongside his wife, confronts the darkest aspects of humanity during the search. The narrative blends faith, trauma, revenge and redemption before arriving at a shocking vigilante act that challenges core beliefs. Newcomer Margaux Dietrich plays Olivia with Nattaporn Rawddon, Christian Ferriera, Jonathan Samson and Sahajak Boonthanakit in supporting roles.
Crushed premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, then screened at FrightFest London on the main stage and at South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Critics responded with praise for the lead performance, including a description of Oram's work as a career-defining performance from Mulderville and a characterization of the film as a rigorous work of cinema from The List.
Rumley completed the first draft in 2011. The script remained unused for more than a decade until a 2024 Berlin Film Festival lunch revived it with longtime friend and producer Tom Waller, who resides in Bangkok. The subsequent rewrite made the protagonist a man of the cloth. Waller produces through his Bangkok-based De Warrenne Pictures.
Rumley highlighted his interest in the Christian idea of forgiving thy enemy and its practical difficulty. He also noted the appeal of a vigilante story positioned against Hollywood conventions such as Taken. After nearly four months in Bangkok, which he described as massive and sprawling but intimate and charming, the director clarified the source of exploitation in the narrative. He stated that the Thai people are very warm and welcoming and kind, and the exploitation comes not from them but from the foreigners who consume and encourage the exploitation and profit from it, adding that the foreigners are the villains here, not Bangkok or the Thai people.
Rumley selected Oram for his everyman quality that allows shifts from nice and funny to hard and dark. The director emphasized the character's helplessness and the need for an actor at ease presenting information and emotion without dialogue. Margaux Dietrich was the first actress to audition for Olivia; she was nine at the time and won the role on her tenth birthday. Rumley observed that she has an intuition, wisdom and ability way beyond her years. Her father, actor Yves Dietrich, attended every day of the shoot, and the most difficult scenes were completed more quickly and with fewer takes than usual.
Rumley termed the film an extreme drama, explaining that it lacks sufficient blood or guts or jump scares for horror and that its pacing is more deliberate, introspective or, some might say, languid for a thriller. He expressed hope that it gives the audience a visceral and emotional reaction which will stay with them and make them think about the contradictions within the film's story. He added that he hopes it is something the audience can discuss with fellow viewers and, in spite of its tough subject matter, enjoy that discussion.
Tom Waller of De Warrenne Pictures and Anya Pipattanachotpokin produced the film, with John Wolstenholme, Roger Bassett and Doug Abbott as executive producers. Breaking Glass Pictures CEO Richard Wolff stated that Simon Rumley is one of the most fearless filmmakers working today, and Crushed is his most powerful film yet. Wolff added that it refuses easy answers and stays with you long after the credits roll, anchored by Steve Oram's extraordinary performance, and that it is exactly the kind of bold, provocative cinema the company is proud to bring to American audiences.
Rumley again described Oram as the everyman character suited to the material's demands. He reiterated Dietrich's exceptional intuition and noted her father's constant presence contributed to efficient handling of the most challenging scenes involving the young performer.
