Thursday, 24 February 2022 11:13

Belfast

belfast

BELFAST

UK, 2021, 98 minutes, black-and-white/Colour.

Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Ciaran Hinds, Lewis McAskiel.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

This is Belfast 1969. The Troubles. Three years before Bloody Sunday. Separate areas for Catholics and Protestants – although here we visit the street with families both Catholic and Protestant. There are riots. There are attacks on Catholic families, wanting them out. Over the next 20 years or so things were to become much worse before they became better and agreements made. This is Northern Ireland.

But this is also the story of Kenneth Branagh as a boy. Branagh was born in 1960 in this Belfast. This is his memoir of childhood. He has written the screenplay, and directs. This is a heartfelt story – and is dedicated at the end to those who stayed, to those who left, to those who lost their lives.

While the film opens and closes in contemporary Belfast, filmed in colour, the story is told in strong black-and-white, bursting into colour only when the family go to the pictures, One Million Years BC with Raquel Welch, exciting shenanigans with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. No doubt that Kenneth Branagh had and has a love for films.

Jude Hill, who comes from a village outside Belfast, embodies the young Buddy perfectly. We see everything through his eyes, feel everything through his feelings. Life is exciting, going to school, attracted to the girl across the street and wanting to do his school project with her, he lives at home with his older brother, is friendly with neighbours and cousins who live locally. His Pa (a sympathetic Jamie Dornan) works over in England, returning home fortnightly, raising the possibility that they should move to England, something his strong wife, Ma (Caitriona Balfe) is against, settled at home with relatives and friends. And, continual backup from Pop (Ciaran Hinds) and Granny (Judi Dench). Both are Dornan and Hinds come from Belfast, Balfe from Dublin, and, of course, Judi Dench from England but, with different hairstyle, glasses, she becomes Granny rather than any other Judi Dench character.

A lot of playful sequences, the world of children, games in the street, going to school, ordinary life. But, with the attack on the Catholic houses, the setting up of barricades at the end of the street with an old codger sitting there to check identities for those passing through even though he knew them well, the children included, the sectarian views being expressed, local leaders menacing and threatening those who did not comply, life is not easy in this area of Belfast.

Branagh’s the screenplay, however, has several moments advocating peace and understanding.

There are some climax moments, a raid on a local supermarket and frenzied looting, But his young girl friend urging Buddy to join in the raid, and his grabbing some Omo. Ma is dismayed, takes him back, but is caught up in the powerplay of the various leaders of the raid. And, Pa is eventually forced to confront the menacing leader. It is time to consider more seriously moving from Belfast.

There is a deep humanity in Kenneth Branagh’s screenplay, especially in some wonderful scenes where Buddy has enjoyable conversations with Pop and, later, conversations with Granny (Hinds and Dench at their best).

Obviously Kenneth Branagh has a lot of regrets about Belfast in the past – but he has made a significant life for himself, contributing to the theatre and cinema at a world level, but, obviously not forgetting his Belfast and Northern Ireland roots.

  1. A portrait of Belfast in 1969? A memoir of Kenneth Branagh at age 9?
  2. The opening, the present, colour? The return to colour at the end? The colour excerpts from One Million Years BC, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, A Christmas Carol? Colour in the ordinary lives of the Belfast citizens? The black-and-white of Star Trek on television? The sequences from High Noon?
  3. The black-and-white photography, the neighbourhood, the focus on individuals, close-ups, the action sequences?
  4. The musical score, the range of contemporary songs, the lyrics in relationship to the plot, the lyrics of the theme from High Noon and being a coward?
  5. The narrative from the point of view Buddy, nine years old, his place in the family, relationship to each of his parents, his mother at home, his father returning fortnightly from England, his devotion to Pop, talking with him, granny and her advice? His brother? Older? The cousins and the girls and daring him to shoplift, to protest? The young girl in class, Catholic, his shyness, standing outside her house, sharing the project with her, winning?
  6. The situation in Belfast 1969, The Troubles – leading to Bloody Sunday? The presence of the British, the interventions? The tensions between Protestants and Catholics? The family living in a Protestant Street? Yet Catholic families living peacefully? The dialogue and its emphasis on tolerance and living together? Jokes about Catholics, confessing, then doing what they like, missing Mass and then getting forgiven? Pa’s jokes at the end about Buddy getting married, to a Catholic, and their having to go to confession?
  7. Pa and his situation, age, experience, work, the connections with the Protestant groups, exercising pressure on him? His work in England, returning, sharing the happy life, playing with the kids, going to the pictures? Outings? His relationship with his mother and father? The decisions about going to England, the offer, better house, opportunities? Ma and her wanting to stay in Belfast with her friends? Buddy not wanting to go to England?
  8. Ma, her life at home, good life, with the kids? Keeping the house? The children at school?
  9. The eruptions, the attack on the Catholic families, the shops, the looting? The personalities, the Protestant organisations? The barricades at the end of the street, the old man checking to-ing and fro-ing? The pressure to be active?
  10. Buddy and the girl, the shoplifting incident, the Omo and its biology tag? Ma, her reaction, taking buddy back to the shop to return the goods? The confrontation with the attackers, her being menaced, going home?
  11. Pa, the return, the reality of the violence in the streets, Ma and her change of heart, their packing to go?
  12. Pop, his health, his experience, a wise man, polishing saddles, his relationship with his wife, 50 years? Going to hospital, granny taking him, his urging them to leave? Death, the funeral?
  13. The Protestant church background, the fire and brimstone preacher, the two paths, the possibility of Hell, Buddy and his drawing? The more moderate service at the funeral? And his being present at the wake, and the spirit of the wake with songs and dancing?
  14. Pa and his confrontation with the leader, throwing the stone, the British coming in, the arrests?
  15. The family, packing, taking the bus to the airport, granny seeing them off?
  16. The dedication at the end, to those who stayed, to those who left, to the many who died?
  17. In the film was an insight into Kenneth Branagh, his background, love for movies, his future career?
More in this category: « Shadow/ Ying Ema »