Belfast
Starring: Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh
Rated: PG-13
Home isn’t just a place. It’s a safety net. A community filled with family, friends, neighbors where you can feel at peace. It’s the sight of your trusted daily routine, your future plans, and your most treasured memories. What happens when the place you rely on for safety and comfort is threatened?
Belfast tells the story of young Buddy and his close-knit family as they try to navigate life in a tumultuous Belfast, Ireland in 1969 as Protestants target Catholics in the community. The film is told through the perspective of Buddy as he sees the horrors around him while still trying to have a normal childhood. Buddy and his brother go to school, but just beyond their home is a massive fence that separates their community from the rest of the world. Everyone is watching and violence lurks around every corner.
Belfast is a true story taken directly from director Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. It’s a brilliant move to tell the story from Buddy’s perspective. It feels like we’re watching a piece of his life amidst the chaos. Branagh tells the story with love and care to this place and the people there.
The cinematography is quite striking throughout. The majority of the film is in black and white, while present-day images are presented in color. However, there is an impressive technique utilized to bring color into the film anytime Buddy watches a performance, TV show, or a film. It juxtaposes the black and white world of Belfast with kaleidoscopic color of the arts. Buddy’s life is illuminated by the beauty of cinematic possibility, something that parallels Branagh’s own experience in the arts.
Newcomer Jude Hill carries the film as Buddy. Hill commands the screen with charisma and energy. He portrays Buddy as an adorable and energetic boy trying to experience a normal childhood while his hometown crumbles around him. Buddy goes to school, plays with friends, and goes to the movies despite the chaos surrounding Belfast. He doesn’t quite know what to think of the guards and wire fences that wait for him when he returns home each day.
Surrounding Buddy is a tight-knit family unit including his Pa and Ma, portrayed excellently by Jamie Dornan and Catriona Balfe. The two represent two different ends of the spectrum with Pa ready to move beyond Belfast and begin a new start. While Ma holds on tightly to home, devastated by the very thought of leaving.
Buddy frequently visits his grandparents portrayed by Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds. The two are pillars of support for the family, always there to provide love, kindness, and advice. The film really does make it feel like we’re watching a real family.
There’s a push and pull throughout the film of staying in the place you know or moving on to a new life. Belfast is a community and despite the upheaval, it’s still home. It’s not just a place. It’s become part of Buddy’s identity. Part of his family’s identity. The most difficult decision is knowing if and when to say goodbye.
Belfast is a beautifully crafted ode to home and all of the people, the places, and memories (both wonderful and painful) that make us cherish it throughout our lives.
My Rating: 9/10