Sometimes the advertising or word of mouth on a film gives a slightly misleading impression of what you end up seeing. This was especially true of Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast.
Going into the film, the expectation was that it would be relatively dour, pessimistic, cynical, and downbeat. What actually appeared on screen though was much more nuanced and engrossing. Yes, there are extremely difficult moments, given the setting, but it also contains joy, humour, and some life-affirming elements. As it is semi-autobiographical it also has an air of authenticity about it, with relationships ringing true.
Set in the mixed Catholic and Protestant streets of Belfast in 1969, Buddy (Jude Hill) enjoys a carefree, loud, innocent childhood, full of imagination in the bosom of a tight community. That peaceful existence is shattered one August afternoon though, as riots break out, aimed at removing the Catholic families from the street. Soon barricades are erected and the street digs in to defend its own, even in the face of increased pressure from local activists.
Buddy’s Father (Jamie Dornan) works near London, so is often absent, leaving Buddy’s Mother (Caitriona Balfe) to effectively raise the family on her own. She also seems to be the only one concerned with clearing their mounting debts, while Buddy’s Father gambles and buys everyone presents. Luckily, his parents are also on hand, with Buddy’s grandfather (Ciarán Hinds) being of particular support, while his grandmother (Judi Dench) keeps things grounded.
As you can tell by how characters are listed in the cast list, things are predominately from Buddy’s perspective, with only a few elements switching to another view. Even then though they do swing back to his frame of reference pretty rapidly. He is therefore aware of things like the family financial situation, so isn’t sheltered in one regard, but is woefully uninformed in others, if his conversations with Moira (Laura McDonnell) are anything to go by. It is likely though that the religious differences would be confusing for many.
Essentially, this is a film about community and family, and not a politically charged drama. Although that is in the background and does drive a lot of the narrative. What comes across most strongly though is Buddy and his Mother’s love for Belfast as a city and a community. They both get extremely distressed at the thought of having to leave, not wanting to lose the familiar, safe, and caring surroundings they knew. Unfortunately, outside events have no longer kept it safe. For Buddy, he is also just making headway with his first crush, so has that yearning too.
This is all spearheaded by a fantastic performance from young Jude Hill, who delivers the mixture of innocence of youth, reactive shock, and humour that the role requires. He is definitely a bit of a find and we will undoubtedly see him for a long time to come. Elsewhere, the cast is also excellent, especially Caitriona Balfe, who deserves to be a bigger star than she is, and the always brilliant Ciarán Hinds, who is pitch perfect.
It’s not just the cast that make this shine though, and the film is beautifully shot, switching from a modern view to crisp monochrome as we enter the past. The writing and carefully emotive dialogue also hit the right spot, even if sometimes it’s a bit overly sentimental. But this is ultimately a love letter to the Belfast of his youth, so a certain amount is forgivable, and the end result is a film that is far more successful than expected.
