Belfast (2021)- BFI London Film Festival 2021

Review

98min

Genre:       Comedy, Drama

Director:     Kenneth Branagh

Cast:         Jude Hill, Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan…and more

Writers:     Kenneth Branagh

-Synopsis-

The political tumult, social and cultural change of late 1960’s Britain and Northern Ireland is seen through the eyes of a young boy and his working-class family, as the joy, pain and innocence of his childhood is exposed to the toxic and growing divisions of his country, as his family struggle to stay true to their town while dreaming of a safer place in the wider world in this semi-autobiographical British coming-of-age period family dramedy from Kenneth Branagh.

Having spent a near lifetime away on English shores and the American coast building a career as one of the modern greats of stage & screen and an award-winning filmmaker, not to mention losing his Irish brogue along the way, writer/director Kenneth Branagh returns to the emerald isle and its Northern Irish capital to remind us and himself of his roots—taking a leaf from Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Roma’ playbook to lovingly craft a highly personal, charming but poignant black & white portrait of family and childhood, and the happiness of home under threat in 60s Belfast.

Jude Hill stars as spirited young movie-loving Northern Irish schoolboy ‘Buddy’, an everyday kid growing up in a working-class neighbourhood of late 60s Belfast with his older brother ‘Will’ (Lewis McAskie), raised by his loving housewife ‘Ma’ (Caitriona Balfe) and doting builder ‘Pa’ (Jamie Dornan), in between his regular work trips to London, not to mention his streetwise ‘Grandpa’ (Ciarán Hinds) and feisty ‘Grandma’ (Judi Dench). But their simple idyllic lives take a turn when the “the Troubles” begin to cast a shadow on their home and sectarian conflict washes up on their doorstep, caught between the thuggish Protestant militants trying to take over their streets with anti-Catholic fervour and the British soldiers sent to pacify them—piling on top of the struggles of working class people to force them into making difficult decision about where they call home . . . but failing to break their funny and irrepressible spirits.

British cinema has never shied from setting human dramas against the backdrop of the sectarian violence which blighted Northern (and Southern) Ireland and Britain from the 60s to the 90s, usually with films focused on the callous exploits of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) or the British Armed Forces with whom they clashed. But with ‘Belfast’ Branagh uses his own experiences to tell a story from a Protestant perspective, and a child’s eye view, narrowing the scope and focusing his lens on a tight-knit community intimidated and terrorised by supposedly their own—bitter Ulster extremists with the excuse of a cause. All of which makes this film a period piece with a very modern message of resisting division, ethnic and religious hatred, framing it by using a very human touch how mindless sectarianism breeds paranoia and upends families and childhoods, destroying some completely.

Yet Branagh doesn’t dwell on “the Troubles”, instead focusing on the people affected by it and being drawn into something they have no part in. Much more importantly though, ‘Belfast’ is a lovingly-drawn family drama and sweet coming-of-age tale—with the accompanying mischief, puppy love, loss and growth—all told with affection and packed with poignancy but balanced by plenty of Irish charm and enchanting streetwise humour too, in a film which is essentially about where your heart lies. With the pull of home being where your roots are and where you’re safe and not a stranger . . . even when you’re surrounded with increasing suspicion and violence.

Having spent nearly four decades transitioning from stage to screen and then honing his skills orchestrating behind the camera over the last thirty years, Branagh’s technical skills as a filmmaker are clear to see here in his staging of scenes and sequences, plus the stylish editing and nifty camerawork, combining well with the vivid cinematography from his regular collaborator Haris Zambarloukos (Thor, Murder on the Orient Express) who captures the drama in all its monochromatic glory. And if the heart of the film and its maker lie in Ireland then so should its soul, which takes the shape of a glorious and soulful soundtrack of classics featuring the unmistakable dulcet tones of one of Belfast’s greatest sons Van Morrison.

Yet as a character drama that’s full of character ‘Belfast’ ultimately hangs its hat on its performances, and the ensemble generational cast deliver in spades, with the veteran screen legends as the grandparents injecting plenty of moxie and whimsical wisdom, while the next generation duo playing the parents provide equal measure of head and heart, particularly Caitriona Balfe who finely represents a mother’s love and determination. But if the kid don’t work, neither does the movie, and young newcomer Jude Hill strides over that hurdle with delectable charisma and spirit, proving a revelation as not only a fictional version of Branagh himself but also the audience’s eyes to his world . . . and its heart.

Branagh’s latest directorial effort is arguably his most accomplished to date, a highly personal coming-of-age period tale with plenty of soul and charm, albeit slightly earnest and with a narrow historical focus, but a beautiful cinematic ode to where the heart is, and a likely contender on several fronts come awards season early next year.

The Bottom Line…

A delightful yet poignant coming-of-age family drama and charming meditation on childhood told against the backdrop of division and fear, ‘Belfast’ is a stylish personalised period piece with socially resonant echoes, made with loving care and a sense of humour—combining wonderful performances and an irresistible soundtrack with finely tuned filmmaking skills to make for Kenneth Branagh’s most personal and possibly his most polished directorial effort of a thirty-year career.

‘Belfast’ is out on the 12th of November in the US, and on the 21st of January 2022 in the UK.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Roma (2018)

A black & white Spanish language character piece set in the social and political bustle of Mexico in the early 70s, following the tribulations of an upper middle-class family and their domestic servants, who prove the stoic beating heart of the group—as the director of ‘Children of Men’ and ‘Gravity’ returns home for a meditation on family, class and the idea of home.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira and Diego Cortina Autrey among others.

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