Belfast
SCREENPLAY: A -
I’m seriously considering paying the extra cash for Spotify, since it played the commercial for Belfast so many times it nearly - but not quite - ruined one of the lines for me (Son, remember! If ya can’t be good …). Thankfully, there’s plenty more where that came from. The film is as full of rich Irish wit and humor as a strongly poured Guinness. The film kicks off bringing heat like a forest fire in a Sterno tin. Drama of all kinds follows: familial, political, financial. The story could have easily continued at a ferocious pace, yet these struggles move through the city like the seasons, like a natural piece of the landscape. The steady pace makes the story feel real and genuine.
ACTING: A
This family is the type of family people talk about behind their backs, whispering, “NO ONE could possibly love each other that much.” Lesser performances might have dipped into cheesiness. Every actor’s performance feels real. You swear they really do love each other this much. Jude Hill is a tenderfoot revelation. Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan both are a dazzling blend of strength, nobility, and woundedness. Ciarin Hinds and Judi Dench are beyond delightful as the crotchety, adorable couple who know one or two or twelve thousand things about life.
CRAFT: A
The opening three minutes are a masterclass of how to open a film. The colorful shots of modern day Belfast’s stunning artwork and architecture not only gives the story a strong sense of place - it shows despite whatever horrors it will endure in black and white, the city will prevail and thrive. An artful transition takes us into that black and white era of The Troubles, and soon we are thrown into a swirling cauldron of utopia and chaos. And the film’s excellence rarely lets up from there, weaving an unforgettable spell.
TENDER MOMENTS (Elective Class): A
This film is, above all else, charming and tender. Love swells and blooms like Tupac’s Rose in Concrete. Dozens of scenes end with two people looking at each other, straining to tell the other person how much they are loved, how much they are missed, how much they are disappointed, how much they believe in them, or how far to the ends of the earth they will fight for them. Every time - EVERY time - the movie sells its affections successfully. It’s the most uplifting film of the year.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Kenneth Branagh pens and shoots the stirring story of his childhood. He beautifully conveys all of its chaos, pain, and indomitable joy. It’s an important story of surviving tragic adversity. But more than that, it holds a mirror up to our current times. The clashes between Protestant and Catholic in 1969 feel not far removed from the many rifts in today’s culture. It’s hard not to hear a warning in this movie. Are we trending toward the same turmoil that beset Belfast? I hope the pain and beauty within this movie can play a small bit in turning us around and back toward each other.