Belfast

To some it would come as a surprise that Kenneth Branagh is from Northern Ireland.

He never hid the fact that his family moved to Britain once the Troubles started in the late 1960s.

Once they arrived Branagh had to modify his Irish accent to fit in.

The semi autobiographical Belfast expands on the forces that drove Branagh's parents to take the momentous step to move away from their homeland.

Starting off in colour, it moves into black and white. Buddy is playing with other children in his neighbourhood. It is 1969 and both Protestants and Catholics live on the same street.

Suddenly shocking violence erupts, a Protestant mob wants to force the Catholics out.

In this turmoil, Buddy's dad who works as a carpenter in London contemplates moving to the mainland. Not helped by the financial woes over a tax demand.

For Buddy it also means leaving behind his grandparents and the girl he fancies at school.

For his dad, he is being pressurized to choose sides. It is no coincidence that one of the movies the family watches at the cinema is High Noon.

The Troubles is now mainly consigned to history. I speak to my children in the past tense as to my experience of growing up during the IRA bombing campaign ranging from the 1970s to the 1990s.

There was always a danger that visiting a city centre in the mainland during Christmas meant the risk of some kind of car bomb suddenly going off. In fact there was a day when I was stuck in a traffic jam meaning I was delayed getting to a place that was earlier blown up by an IRA bomb.

Belfast has been called nostalgic, having a thin plot. It is life affirming but does not shy away from the turmoil. It is framed in a child's viewpoint, wonderfully played by Jude Hill.

The events of the film are still relevant. Brexit has placed dangers on the Good Friday Agreement. The present Tory government is cynically playing fast and loose with it. The impact of the Troubles must never be forgotten.

Writer and Director, Kenneth Branagh provides this heart warming reflection of his childhood in an all black and white feature depicting Belfast from 1969. Through the eyes of a 9 year old boy, you experience the trauma of obstacles, the joy of simplicity, and the impact of genuine relationships in this story about one family wrapped into a story about one country.

Synopsis:

"A semi-autobiographical film which chronicles the life of a working class family and their young son's childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital."

What You See, Feel, and Hear

This film is much deeper than what is represented on screen. On screen, you experience a very neutral energy within the script. Even with devastating moments you don't necessarily go through a journey of difficult emotions throughout the film, but rather it's as if you're watching "real life" depict itself on screen. The story was blatantly.. simple? As a viewer you're looking to get attached to something in order to feel invested within a film and that seemed a bit difficult at times. With minor moments of relationship building and humorous interactions I found myself a bit scattered with what I was focusing on. One thing I fell back on was the camera work. With a very simple story, Branagh introduced his version of creative camera work to capitalize on the art of storytelling. I relate this camera style to Wes Anderson with stationary movements and intriguing camera angles to enhance the subjects that were in place.

The acting was phenomenal yet I fear may go unnoticed. Jude Hill executes beautifully on his feature film debut as he manages the tone of emotions throughout the entire story as a 9 year old boy. The performance that allowed me to feel the severity of the circumstances was from Caitriona Balfe (Outlander, Ford v Ferrari, Escape Plan) who plays the role of Buddy's (Jude Hill) mother. I found it impressive how Kenneth Branagh truly made this film his own. This was the first script Branagh had written since 2006 where he wrote "The Magic Flute". Many cast members, including the production team, were raised in Belfast and had personal connections with this story. You even see a nod to Branagh's directorial work as you see Buddy reading a Thor comic (Branagh directed "Thor" in 2011).

Branagh decided to make this film black and white and I can only imagine that he wanted to capture the right energy with this script, especially while taking place in 1969. Within moments of the story you see the detail of art at work as emotions change strictly due to the use of cameras and sound. With a $7 million budget there wasn't a lot of room for substantial changes including lighting. Almost all the lighting during this film was used with only available light, meaning no additional lights were supplied even for scenes taking place indoors. The score was loose and "fun" and supplied a sense of childish light to the darkness of circumstances taking place.

My Take

I was a bit underwhelmed with the plot, and very pleased with the creative work and acting performances. The up-close dynamic of cameras on abstract angles was used almost perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Buddy and his grandfather, their humor matched each other and though there weren't many moments between the two of them on screen, the ones that you do experience are the ones you remember most. I also enjoyed the authentic love story from the perspective of a 9 year old child. The most interesting secret was the color transition between black and white to color with specific scenes. I imagine this was due to separate fantasy and reality or past and present but regardless, it added a touch of curiosity and changed my passive viewing behavior to an active one. Overall, this is a beautiful film that is exceptionally slow from start to finish with subtle spurts of spontaneity.

Grade: 7.2/10.

This film was funny, heartfelt, sad and scary all in one. Although it is based at the start of the troubles the film didn't fully focus on the terror those times caused. It was good to see the Northern Irish humour being portrayed. Belfast isn't just about bombs and religion.

For those distraught about the film being black and white. Seriously?! I didn't even notice after about the 30seconds. It brought the film to its time and gave it charm. In all a great, mostly, light film based around a horrible time in Belfast.

Greetings again from the darkness. Despite Irish ancestry, during my childhood, Ireland was vaguely described as a place to avoid due to the Northern Ireland Conflict (also known as The Troubles). In contrast, the childhood of writer-director Kenneth Branagh was smack dab in the middle of this political and religious mess. This autobiographical project is a sentimental look back at his youth and the connection to his career as a filmmaker. This is very attractive and appealing filmmaking, and one that acknowledges the violent atmosphere without dwelling on it.

An opening aerial view of present day Belfast shipyards in full color abruptly transitions back to black and white 1969. A young boy plays and skips cheerfully as he makes his way through the apparently idyllic neighborhood. The pleasantries are shattered and give way to the frenzied fear and havoc created by an approaching angry mob. The native Protestants' goal is to push out all Catholics from the area. The happy young boy we first see is Buddy (played by newcomer Jude Hill), the stand-in for Branagh as a child. While watching, we must keep in mind that we are seeing things unfold through Buddy's eyes - which are actually the eyes of a middle-aged director looking back on his upbringing. This explains the sentimentality and nostalgia, two aspects handled exceedingly well.

Buddy and his older brother Will (Lewis McAskie) live with their parents Ma (Caitriona Balfe, FORD V FERRARI, "Outlander") and Pa (Jamie Dornan, "The Fall"), and are close with Granny (Oscar winner Judi Dench) and Pop (Ciaran Hinds, one of the finest supporting actors working today). Pa spends much of his time away in London working as a carpenter, leaving Ma parenting diligently to create normalcy for the boys during tumultuous times. An added stress is the financial woes Ma and Pa face over tax debt. Granny and Pop are an endearing elderly couple still very much in love, despite their constant needling and bickering.

As things escalate, the division over religion becomes more prevalent. Although he attempts to stay out of the fracas, Pa is faced with the "either with us or against us" decision - something he avoids as long as possible. Ma is obsessed with keeping her boys on the straight and narrow, despite their naivety and the many forces pulling them away. The family finds its emotional escape at the local cinema, which treats us to clips of bikini-clad Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS BC; Grace Kelly and Gary Cooper facing off with a similar 'stay or go' dilemma in HIGH NOON; John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE; and Dick Van Dyke in his flying car from CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. The sense of awe and wonder is laid on a bit thick for effect, but it helps us connect young Buddy with present day Branagh.

It's quite a family dilemma. How do you decide to pack up and leave the only town you've ever called home, and when do you make that decision? When does the danger and turmoil pose too much to risk for your kids? There is a fun scene that provides young Buddy a lesson on how to answer, "Are you Protestant or Catholic?" It plays comically but has a serious undertone. Speaking of Buddy, newcomer Jude Hall in his feature film debut, uses his sparkling eyes and an engaging smile to light up the screen. His adolescent pining for Catherine (Olive Tennant), the smart girl in his class, is worthy of the price of admission. All of the actors are terrific, and in addition to young Mr. Hall, it's Caitriona Balfe (as Ma) whose performance really stands out. Award considerations should be in her future.

Filmmaker Branagh has assembled a crew of frequent collaborators, including cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, who works wonders with the monochromatic scheme. The soundtrack is chock full of Van Morrison songs - it is Ireland, after all, and the overall feeling is that this is a film Branagh needed to make in order to deal with his childhood prior to his family relocating to England. By not avoiding The Troubles, yet not focusing on it, Branagh has told his story in a personal way that should be relatable to many. It's a terrific film.

BELFAST opens in theaters on November 12, 2021.

Kenneth Branagh delivers a beautiful, heartfelt film about a family in 1969 Belfast. Branagh's love for the town of Belfast is palpable. The cast is superb--especially, Caitriona Balfe, whose portrayal as a wife and mother, torn between staying in her native Belfast as religious and political violence escalates or moving to England for her family's safety, is heartbreaking.