Rating: 9.1
Belfast is an absolutely gorgeous movie, and easily one of the best films of the year! It’s pure, honest, very human and all around very wholesome and lovely. I honestly never expected a film this remarkable to come from Kenneth Branagh but wow is this ever such an incredible piece of work; easily his best! And if this doesn’t come close to winning best picture I will be very upset, as it’s truly an excellent and heartfelt film that is one of the best I’ve seen all year!
It’s Branagh’s most personal film, and I think that’s what makes it such a triumph. The writing and directing from Branagh is the highlight, it’s some of the most special and poignant parts of the entire film. He makes some truly bold directorial choices, and the film itself is very clever, extremely charming and at the same time has a center of humour to it all! What it does best is put the audience in the shoes of the family it focuses on, specifically the youngest son, Buddy, who I assume is the film’s version of Branagh himself. The autobiographical elements help the movie to feel very authentic and real, it helps connect us to the movie as Branagh’s recollection of experiences being back memories of our own similar childhood experiences. Which brings me to my next point, Branagh wisely tells the story as if it’s glimpses into childhood memories; stolen moments and eavesdropped conversations, which gives it such a special feeling. It’s clearly deeply personal for Branagh and makes it that much more impactful. One thing that really stuck out to me is the sequences set inside a theatre, with the characters either watching a play or a movie. While the rest of the movie is in black and white, the movie screen and the actors on stage in the play are shown in colour, highlighting the way that cinema and the theatre served as inspirations for Branagh and were special to Buddy in the movie. These sequences also payed a nice homage to Cinema Paradiso, which I really appreciated! The movie itself reminds us why movies are so important and how they bring people together through the character of Buddy.
I loved Jude Hill as Buddy in the movie, he outshone everyone else in the cast with his fantastic performance, and delivered one of the finest performances from a child actor I’ve ever seen. He was charming and funny, and helped to show a perspective of childlike wonder to the audience, whether about Belfast itself or the movies. I also loved both Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan as Ma and Pa, they are truly excellent and emotionally root the film! Honestly all the performances in this movie blew me away, it’s a fantastic cast and they really delivered.
The film is an ode to family. It focuses on the mundane challenges of life and maintaining family, and the greater social unrest that is challenging their lives. The struggles of debt, health, religion, work, raising children and dealing with change are all wonderfully touched on throughout the film, and I love how it still touched in the riots and civil unrest in Ireland in the late 60s between Catholics and Protestants. It’s a piece of history not many know about and Branagh excellently shows effects these events could have on a family. I loved the long takes he employed, especially the one at the opening of the film that follows Buddy through the streets culminating in a 720-degree pan as we see the terror in his face seeing the oncoming riot. It was a completely gripping opening and gave us a sense of what was to come. The cinematography is exceptional and uses colour so interestingly. I love that Branagh lets the camera linger in scenes, allowing for the actors to command the scene. He also uses focus and framing just perfectly. Honestly, the technical elements in this film are damn near perfect, it’s nearly flawless. It did take me a while to get into the film, but once I did I loved it. I also loved the use of Van Morrison for the soundtrack!
Belfast is truly a cinematic treat. Movies like this remind me why I love film, and it was just such a gorgeous and heartfelt, deeply personal film from Branagh. It’s what makes it his masterpiece, and easily one of the best films this year. It would be a crime if this wasn’t nominated for best picture, and the film deserves all the praise it has gotten so far! It’s truly something special, a must see, and I really loved it!
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IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
RT Audience Score: 91%
Metacritic Score: 78
CinemaScore: n/a
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Focus Features
Written & Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Lewis McAskie, Colin Morgan, Lara McDonnell
Runtime: 1hr 38min
Rating: PG
Drama
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A semi-autobiographical film which chronicles the life of a working class family and their young son's childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital.
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Fun Fact: This is a true story from Sir Kenneth Branagh's childhood.
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