Belfast

Not every film needs to hit its subject hard. Not every movie needs to be Schindler’s List or Judgment at Nuremberg, taking a long introspective look at the subject matter and rendering a solid stance on the events that took place that inspired the movie. It’s okay for a film to soft-pedal the politics and the history in favor of a solid, more innocent, point of view. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast tells a very personal story to him, examining a rather tumultuous time in the history of Belfast, Northern Ireland, but does so through the eyes of a young child who sees the chaos around him but doesn’t have the sophistication or the understanding of events an adult would have. It’s a brilliant use of perspective that can serve as a gateway for audience members who may view it and get motivated to dig deeper into the history and the reasons these events happened. In some ways, it is reminiscent of Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbitbut without the broad humor.

The film opens with shots of modern-day Belfast in all its beauty and majesty. We see the lush landscape, the architecture, the artistic graffiti, all in vivid color. Then, like The Wizard of Oz in reverse, we pass over a barrier and into a different world where things are presented in black-and-white. For the rest of the film, the only time color is seen is at the movies or the theatre where the films or plays our main family watch together will be in their original color. The world outside this theater will remain in black-and-white, the way a child sees the world around them. The shading in between is something they learn as they grow up and realize life isn’t always one or the other.

We are looking at the life of a working-class Protestant family through the eyes of their youngest son, nine-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill). We first see Buddy as he is nearing his home one day just as a terrorist attack is happening in the area, Protestants rioting and destroying property and attacking Catholics. He stands there, frozen in the middle of the street as this once safe and familiar neighborhood is now filled with an angry mob smashing in windows, setting cars on fire, and viscously assaulting people. He is experiencing the August 1969 riots but, from his perspective, all he can process is the violence. His mother (Caitríona Balfe) braves the mob to get Buddy and his older brother out of the streets and hiding inside their home, even though they aren’t the ones being targeted. That matters little to the mob who, in their hatred for the Catholics, can hurt anyone who happens to not be doing their part to terrorize them.

Buddy’s father (Jamie Dornan) is often traveling for work but comes home as soon as word gets to him of what is happening. While he is away on business, his wife and kids live with the grandparents (Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds) on a tight budget. Buddy attends the local school where he excels primarily to impress a girl in his class and because the teacher assigns the seating arrangements based on the grades. This little girl usually has the best grades in class so if he can get his grades high enough he can sit next to her. He also likes to walk by her house and look through her front room window, hoping she will look back out and see him. 

Buddy is impressionable at his age. His cousin, Moira (Lara McDonnell), takes advantage of that by coercing him into helping steal candy from a local store, promising him that if he proves himself, she will let him join her gang. It backfires, and even though they initially get away, he is recognized, and the proprietor and the police come to his home and try to get him to name the others involved. He refuses, which gets him in the good graces with Moira. Later, the rioters ransack and loot a supermarket, and Buddy gets out of there with a box of laundry soap only to be marched back to the store by his mother while the looting is still going on. She is determined to teach him right from wrong but what she thought she’d be able to do while the rioters were still tearing the place apart is a little ludicrous. 

During all of this, there is also the growing tension with one of the leaders of the rioters, Billy Clanton (Colin Morgan), who is trying to force Buddy’s father to join their group, insisting that all Protestants need to either join up or pay money towards the cause. This leads to an impasse between the parents. The father wants to take the family and leave to keep them safe, while the mother cannot bring herself to leave the only home she has ever known. There is a sense of community here where everyone knows everyone, and she believes that if they leave, wherever they go, they will be amongst strangers who don’t want them there. On top of that, the grandparents feel that they cannot move away. This is their lifelong home, and they are too old to leave it behind at this late date. The grandfather has recently been hospitalized, too, and may not live much longer, either. Eventually, even the mother will not be able to deny that the situation is getting to dangerous for her family to stay.

This is a masterfully told story that takes these very complex issues and distills them down to a child’s level without overdoing it, insulting the audience. It is not a children’s movie, but a child can understand the basics of what is happening and why. There are several moments where the basic themes are spelled out, primarily in conversations Buddy has with his father and grandfather. Buddy asks his father if it is okay to marry a Catholic girl, clearly thinking about his crush. His father tells him that what they believe shouldn’t matter so long as they are a good person at heart. So much of the violence in the world would not exist if people in general felt this way. 

Kenneth Branagh made a name for himself in several well-received Shakespearean films, and for a while, that was what he was primarily known for. But in the years since, he has proven himself to be a versatile writer and director who can handle virtually anything. In more recent years, he has done operas, comedies, big-budget popcorn entertainment, and even Agatha Christie mysteries. In a sly wink to one of his next projects, he shows a close-up of Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, the book that his A Haunting in Venice is loosely based on. He also utilizes the music of Van Morrison to set the tone of the movie, taking full advantage of The Belfast Cowboy’s roots and cinematic music to enhance his story and put a pin in what we should be thinking about and feeling from scene to scene. Sometimes this can be a little too on the nose, but the music is so good that doesn’t really matter. Kenneth Branagh has an instinct for these things, and it pays off. This is unlike anything he has done before, and it’s simply beautiful to watch and listen to. 

Belfast had its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September of 2021, where it became an instant hit, becoming the most often screened film of that year. It was a foregone conclusion that it would get a lot of Oscar recognition, but realistically, it was underrepresented that year when the nominations were read out. Of the actors, only Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds got nominations, neither winning. It’s insane to think that Caitríona Balfe was overlooked. The film was expected to receive at least eleven nominations but settled for seven, winning only for its screenplay. CODA took the big prize, which is another film I absolutely loved, but in retrospect, Belfast is the better film. 

This is such a wonderful movie that really nails the point-of-view of a little boy interpreting the violence and destruction around him through the lens of his limited world experience. Kenneth Branagh has not forgotten what it was like to be a young boy growing up in that environment. He was there as a child, and his family fled to London to escape the evil that was happening then. He dedicates the film to those who stayed, then to those who left. Finally, he dedicates it to all the ones who were lost, basically to everyone. This film is really for all of us, because its message is universal. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, and Tamar Thomas

Best Director: Kenneth Branagh

Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds

Best Supporting Actress: Judi Dench

Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh (won)

Best Original Song: “Down to Joy” by Van Morrison

Best Sound: Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather, and Niv Adiri

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Release Date: September 2, 2021

Running Time: 97 minutes

Rated PG-13

Starring: Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, and Jude Hill

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh