“Calm with Horses,” which made its world premiere in Toronto’s Tiff in the Discovery section, is the feature directorial debut of Nick Rowland (Amazon series “Ripper Street”), and stars Barry Keoghan, Cosmo Jarvis (“Annihilation”), and Niamh Algar (BBC’s “The Virtues”). The script, which was adapted from Colin Barrett’s short story by screenwriter Joe Murtagh (UK series “Origin”), centers on ex-boxer Douglas “Arm” Armstrong (Jarvis), who has become a feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. Set In rural Ireland, Armstrong has to balance his criminal life with the demands of being a father to his autistic, five-year-old son. When his employers ask him to kill a rival, he must decide where his loyalties fully reside.

“I think it was that the characters felt so rich and the dialogue was beyond fantastic,” says Rowland, when asked about what initially drew him to Murtagh’s script. “There was a...