Belfast

Cast View all

	Jude Hill	Buddy
	Lewis McAskie	Will
	Caitriona Balfe	Ma
	Jamie Dornan	Pa
	Judi Dench	Granny
	Ciarán Hinds	Pop
	Josie Walker	Auntie Violet
	Freya Yates	Cousin Frances
	Nessa Eriksson	Cousin Vanessa
	Charlie Barnard	Cousin Charlie
	Frankie Hastings	Auntie Mary
	Máiréad Tyers	Auntie Eileen
	Caolan McCarthy	Uncle Sammie
	Ian Dunnett Jnr	Uncle Tony
	Michael Maloney	Frankie West
	Lara McDonnell	Moira
	Chris McCurry	Mr Stewart
	Rachel Feeney	Mrs Ford
	Elly Condron	Mrs Kavanagh
	Drew Dillon	Mr Kavanagh
	Olivia Flanagan	Mary Kavanagh
	Samuel Menhinick	Paddy Kavanagh
	James O'Donnell	Rioter
	Leonard Buckley	Mickey Clanton
	Estelle Cousins	Darlene Clanton

Crew View all

Director	Kenneth Branagh
Writer	Kenneth Branagh
Producer	Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Celia Duval, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas, Andrew Wilson
Musician	Van Morrison
Photography	Haris Zambarloukos

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Edition details

Personal

Notes

My quick rating - 7,0/10. Kenneth Branagh is always a consistent name with high-quality flix and this is no exception. It is a semi-autobiographical black and white movie that starts off with a young Jude Hill playing on the streets in Belfast when a mob of Protestant gangsters appears, smashing everything Catholic in their wake. Soon after and as expected, the British army arrives to attempt the peacekeeping mission but with all of this going on, this story really doesn't even focus on that. The whole religious and political conflicts going on take a back seat to establish how an everyday loving family can get along through this and survive. Instead of worrying about all the outside issues, we are brought in more to the everyday issues that families have and will be easily identifiable to most. Judi Dench plays the glue to this family and she seems to be unwavering in just taking everything in stride. Seeing all of the horrors of the conflict through a young child's eyes helps to keep it grounded as his interactions with family, and those around him helped shape what Branagh ultimately became. I really thought the scenes that the kid and granny shared together were very well filmed, especially the mix of color for the movies they were watching. Also, I thought the sound and music in this really helped keep the atmosphere genuine. I have to say that this is not going to be a movie for everyone only because the plot overall is quite thin. This is more about emotion and the struggles in family life that can be tested not only from inside, but incredibly dangerous outside forces. And while many may have wanted to see more of the warlike events happening right outside their door, it instead relies on the viewer knowing that is happening but instead wants the focus to be on how the family copes with it. This was another tragic moment in a history flick seen through a childs eyes that again is very well done and is also another best picture nominee for #Oscars2022 which you can buy/rent by clicking the poster below.

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