‘Belfast’ Movie Review
Believe the hype, Belfast is one of the most character driven and emotionally charged films to make the awards circuit this year.
One aspect of Belfast that makes the film even more authentic than the orginator of the story itself (Kenneth Branagh) is the entire cast. Every single cast member is either from Belfast or a stones throw down the road, making their performances all the more heartfelt and heart wrenching. For Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan working on Belfast unlike anything they’d done before. Belfast is a film based on Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. The pandemic allowed him to cast his first picks because of availability. Catríona Balfe (Ma) felt drawn to the story when she saw that the script was focused on ordinary people instead of the politics and ideology of Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan, who plays Balfe’s husband, Pa, Belfast was set in his hometown, and he was enticed by the truthful story of a family struggling with crippling decisions, grief and unconditional love.
Kenneth Branagh beamed at the q+a last night as he described his casting choices, he was very glad to have picked who he has cast based on what he’s seen in their work and from their personalities. Belfast is a Memoir-Drama at its finest.
The film opens in 1969, admist a small street in Northern Ireland where 10-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) lives. The young child is with kids playing soccer, while neighbors are running in and out of row houses, mothers chatting in doorways or calling their children in for lunch. the peace is shattered when a mob suddenly appears from around a corner, with masked men throwing Molotov cocktails and setting cars on fire. Everything is chaos and jittery camera movements as folks scramble, making you feel enmeshed in the terror of the moment. Soon, British troops take over the neighborhood, checking papers as tanks are rolling down the block. It’s ground zero for the August Riots, which would set the stage for the sectarian violence that would become synonymous with Belfast for decades. These militants want the Catholics out of this largely Protestant neighborhood. They will burn every shop and home to the ground if they have to regardless of the cost to peace.
Belfast follows the story of one family as they face difficult decisions and the daily day to day of life, family, friendships, and the relation to the community they love. A must see.
