Caleb Landry Jones stars in Down the Arm of God, a Locarno premiere created in collaboration with people without housing and designed to open a conversation rather than serve as an advocacy film.
Caleb Landry Jones is starring in Down the Arm of God, a new film directed by Peter Brunner that premiered at the 2026 Locarno Film Festival. The project was developed in collaboration with people without housing, giving their experiences and perspectives an important place within the filmmaking process.
Brunner, who previously studied under filmmaker Michael Haneke, approached the project as more than a conventional drama. The production was shaped through conversations and collaboration with people who have experienced homelessness, with the filmmakers aiming to create a work that encourages audiences to think and talk about the issue.
The team has emphasized that Down the Arm of God is intended as a conversation starter rather than a traditional advocacy film. That distinction reflects the filmmakers’ desire to avoid speaking on behalf of people without housing and instead incorporate their experiences directly into the creative process.
The film’s presentation at Locarno places Jones at the center of another distinctive independent project. His involvement adds to a varied filmography that has included both major studio productions and unconventional auteur-driven movies.
Down the Arm of God was produced by Luc Besson and represents another ambitious project to emerge from the international festival circuit. Its Locarno premiere gives the film an opportunity to introduce its unusual collaborative approach to a wider audience while encouraging discussion about homelessness and the people affected by it.
