‘71

UK, 2014, 100 minutes, Colour.
Jack O’ Connell, Paul Anderson, Sean Harris.
Directed by Yann Demange.

The title indicates the year, 1971.

The location is Belfast, the times of the Troubles. At one stage, a map is shown of the city, indicating the dividing lines, especially the Falls Road, between Catholics and Protestants. The sympathies of this film are not with the militants on either side of the divide.

In fact, the focus is on the British soldiers who occupy Northern Ireland. We are immediately drawn into their training, the young men away from home who have to have military expertise if they are to keep the peace and if they are to keep the enemies away from each other. There is very little judgement made about the fact that the British are in Ireland. It is considered a fact and the men have to do their duty.

Along with the British troops, there are special branches who work somewhat undercover, making contacts with locals on both sides to get information – and can tend to be unscrupulous as to how they get in the information and protect it, even to being willing to kill British troops to save their contacts. Sean Harris is convincing as Browning, the head of this agency.

On an ordinary morning, aware that there are militias on both sides, the British decide to search for weapons amongst the Catholic streets, the men protesting, the mothers and sisters pounding the foot paths with garbage tins in protest. The treatment of the Catholics is very rough.

What happens is that two of the British, very young men, are separated after they hold the line against protesters. And one of them is shot, the other, Hook (Jack O’ Connell) has to make his way back to headquarters, a very difficult journey during the day and into the night, eluding capture, hiding in a lavatory, high finding a pullover to disguise himself, trusting himself to a young boy who seems to have some kind of command, wounded in a pub explosion and cared for by a Catholic doctor and his daughter – ultimately having to escape when the provisional IRA are in pursuit.

This creates a lot of tension, even for audiences who have seen several of these Troubles films including Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday and Pete Travis’s Omagh.

The film was made by French-born director, resident in England, Yann Demange, maker of documentaries. This is his first feature film.

71 was awarded a commendation by the ecumenical jury at the 2014 Berlinale.

1. Young Protestants and Catholics? British occupation? The battles?

2. Using British locations for the Belfast of the 1970s? The streets, the alleys, the flats, homes? The headquarters? The soldiers billeted in the school? The riots, the guns, the tanks? The moody musical score?

3. Introduction to the British soldiers, boxing, the hard training, the mission to Belfast? The reactions?

4. Gary Hook, participating in the training? Going to see his son in the institution? His own past experience? The son glum, his father promising to come back? Back to the institution? And the final visit to his son and being reunited?

5. The perspective on the politics: the British and their presence, a reality, facts? The map, situating the Catholics, situating the Protestants? The Falls Road as a barrier? Fighting, the British role, keeping the peace? Protestants and their anti-Catholic stances? Vice versa? Catholics, the IRA, the provisional IRA, the younger street fighters?

6. Browning and his special force, contacts on both sides, working undercover, using people, creating a network? Protecting the network, protecting the information and the? Ready to kill the soldiers to protect and keep the cover?

7. The British commanders, sympathetic, berets instead of helmets? The reactions, the children and the pissballs, throwing the stones? The soldiers guarding, forming the barrier, the melee, soldiers getting separated, Thompson and his being shot, Hook and his trying to escape? The superior officers and decisions how to handle the situation and find him?

8. The searching of the Catholic homes, the search for the guns, the harshness and the treatment of the people? The women on the footpaths banging the garbage tin lids?

9. The drama of Hook and his survival? Fleeing from the IRA, Sean, Quinn? Again, his going into the alleys, their losing him? Hiding in the toilet? Finding the pullover? The young boy, leading him? Boyle and his sympathies? In the pub, the explosion, Bridget and her father, treating Hook? Hiding him, overhearing the information, his escape? The details of the escape, the streets, the darkness? Outwitting a pursuer and killing him? Quinn and Sean and the catching him? Quinn urging Sean to shoot him, Sean’s reluctance? The underling for Browning, following him, struggling with him, the military shooting? Killing Sean? The effect on Hook?

10. Boyle, his role, trying to preserve Sean, going to the doctor and his daughter? His playing both sides? Browning, finding Quinn, Quinn as leader, callous, her saving his life in exchange information and contact? Bridget and her father, the father and his helping Hook, the dangers?

11. The British cover up, the interviews with Hook, the various sides blaming each other? Browning’s group despising the regulars?

12. Hook leaving, travelling, on the bridge, throwing his tags in the river? Going to see Darren, the happy reunion?

13. Audience response? The opinions on the Troubles? The stances of the film, objectivity, issues of blame – especially for both sides of the Irish issues?