A young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
Freely inspired by his childhood in a mixed neighborhood of Belfast in 1969, Kenneth Brannagh plunges us into his conflict and signs a personal autobiographical story. Through the mischievous and innocent eyes of young Buddy (Judd Hill), the painful Irish partition resurfaces. In a few minutes, a peaceful neighborhood where adults and children go about their occupations is transformed into a war zone led by Protestant Unionists against Catholic families.
It begins with an impressive range of colors and actual shots of Belfast before becoming a chromatic bicolor for most of the film. The Irish filmmaker delights us with one of the most aesthetic films of the year and seems to be eligible for the next Oscars. Finger crossed.
Jude Hill is this year's child revelation. He plays Buddy, an intelligent but angelic child with big, pure eyes on a world that is not very bright. By his side, his grandparents, played by Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds, warm figures of experience, color and affection, dominate the general game.
The comparison with Alfonso Cuarón's excellent Roma, which made its mark at the Oscars three years earlier, is striking.
'If they can't understand you, then they're not listening, and that's their problem.'- Pop—Ciarán Hinds
A traditional passage from childhood to adolescence: a crush on a neighbor, the joys of soccer, miscellaneous curiosities often left undiscovered for the innocent kid.
BELFAST
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Release on November 21, 2021
Runtime : 98 minutes
Casting: Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Lewis McAskie, Caitriona Balfe,
Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Michael Maloney, Ian Dunnett Jnr
