If you like good, multi-award-winning films that never leave you completely unscathed, then Belfast is a must-see! Directed by the great Kenneth Branagh, it recounts the director’s own childhood in Northern Ireland, from age 0 to 9, during the Troubles of the 1960s. Shot in black and white, Branagh delves deep into his memories, depicting a Belfast full of contrasts: beautiful, warm and friendly, yet torn by conflict and identity-based violence…
Kenneth Branagh seems to live a family life punctuated by humor, wisdom and love. A certain innocence, too.
An opportunity for the famous actor and producer to paint a magnificent and endearing portrait of Belfast. A truly multi-faceted masterpiece, with a 5-star cast!
It’s 1969 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Scene from the film Belfast with Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe
Buddy (played by Jude Hill) is a beautiful, endearing 9-year-old boy with a passion for cinema.
Yet life in Belfast is far from easy. He and his family are Protestants and have lived here in Belfast all their lives.
Life was complicated: the town resembled a large village where everyone knew each other and lived in harmony… while at the same time being punctuated by repeated outbursts and acts of violence, pitting Catholics against Protestants, Republicans against Loyalists…
Kenneth Brannagh’s family lives in a Protestant neighborhood, and their daily lives are marked by the “Troubles”, a historic episode that left its mark on Belfast for over 30 years. A context marked by the tearing apart of loyalist and republican communities, as well as Protestant and Catholic ones. The city evolves in a climate where fear and barbed wire are everywhere. Each community is entrenched in its own neighborhood, with barricades and an omnipresent military presence, in fear of the other.
Although the context is delicate, Kenneth Branagh will reveal his childhood memories of the time… A violent period, but above all one marked by joy, love and humor. Despite the prevailing gloom, money problems and tensions, Buddy’s family seems to regularly forget the darkness of the moment, preferring the strength of moments spent together… until the day it seems inevitable that they’ll have to leave Belfast…
For years, the talented Kenneth Branagh has dreamed of telling the story of his childhood… Years spent hesitating, writing, erasing and starting again… But this time, it’s the right one!
It took almost 50 years for this Northern Irish actor and director to take the plunge and make the film Belfast. And as soon as it hits theaters, the film promises to be a work that will long be remembered in the history of the 7th art.
A veritable cry of love for his city, Kenneth Branagh opens his film with images of Belfast. The Samson & Goliath Cranes, two yellow cranes installed in Belfast’s shipyard, are often overlooked by tourists, but are nonetheless emblematic of the city! It’s an industrial port town, with its chimneys, its view of the sea, its working-class neighborhoods, lined up and austere… A perfect backdrop for understanding the identity of this often misunderstood city!
It’s not just about Branagh’s childhood. The director plays a balancing act, constantly on the edge, alternating between innocent moments and the violence of the Northern Irish conflict. A double act that emphasizes contrasts, revealing the strength of the human race, capable of transcending the worst and transforming it into positive moments.
The result is a portrait of a patchwork Belfast… An industrial, port city, sometimes steeply sloping… But where the neighborhoods, although marked by identity, ideological and religious conflicts, live a daily life where everyone knows each other, looks out for each other, and protects each other…
Everything is delivered in black and white. The images are beautiful, simple and powerful… Carried along by an incredibly festive, Irish soundtrack (Van Morrison in the spotlight!), which once again contrasts with the violence of the time.
The cast of Belfast is also responsible for the film’s success. Special mention must go to Jamies Dornan and Caitriona Balfe, two Irish actors who played Kenneth Branagh’s parents to perfection. A couple united despite difficulties, arguments and fear.
A couple ready to uproot themselves in a new country that doesn’t quite understand them. A delicate choice to find peace in London and protect their two boys from violence and forced enlistment in a conflict they don’t seem to understand…
We also salute the performances of Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds (himself a Belfast native), who play Buddy’s grandparents. They’ve got great finesse, and always the right word to make you smile!
In short: Kenneth Branagh’s most personal film of his career. A work on the edge, that puts you in a good mood despite the subject matter, and pays homage to the city he loved and still loves today. A film which, as it says at the end, pays tribute to those who had the courage to leave, and to those who had the courage to stay…
4.06/5 (17 votes)
4.50/5 (8 votes)
