Belfast: Growing Up With Violence

Start with an interesting story, add great acting, and top it off with a Van Morrison soundtrack, and you've got an excellent movie!  This is one of my favorite films of 2021, and I consider it to be a MUST-SEE!  This very personal story was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who succeeds on many levels.  The story is told through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy.  Although there are a few bursts of color, Branagh chose to present "Belfast" almost entirely in black and white.  I'm not sure why he made this decision; perhaps it's because the political backdrop of the story seems to reflect the polarization of Northern Ireland at this time. The film takes place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the summer of 1969 – the same time as Woodstock in the USA.  (The vibes in the two places couldn't be further apart!)  There was a violent conflict (or a low-grade civil war, if you prefer) known as "The Troubles."  This conflict lasted from the late 1960s until 1998.  Although the names of the two sides, "Protestants" and "Catholics," would imply the conflict to be a religious one, it was primarily political.  The Unionists and Loyalists (primarily Protestant) wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, while the Irish Nationalists and Republicans (primarily Catholic) wanted North Ireland to leave the U.K. and join United Ireland. Buddy (Jude Hill, standing in for Branagh) is a 9-year-old boy living in Belfast.  The neighborhood he lives in is a very tight community where everyone knows everybody else.  His mother (Caitriona Balfe) and father (Jamie Dornan) are in love and doing their best, but times are rough and money is scarce.  Buddy is extremely close with his grandparents (Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds), who live within a short walking distance. While Buddy is playing in the street one day, violence erupts and someone even gets shot and killed.  Buddy doesn't fully understand what's going on.  What he learns is primarily from overhearing adult conversations through open doors or windows.  Buddy's parents are trying to decide whether to stick it out in Belfast, where their family and all their friends are, or move elsewhere where the children would be much safer and the economic opportunities much better. The film illustrates the power of love and the importance of family to enable one to cope and remain psychologically intact, despite horrendous circumstances.  It's an AAW film and may even win Best Picture (especially with Branagh's political connections in the Academy).