Nominations: Academy Awards 2022
- Best Picture
- Best Directing (Kenneth Branagh)
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ciarán Hinds)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judi Dench)
- Best Sound
- Best Original Song (“Down to Joy”)
| My rating | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics | Audience | Critics | Audience | |
| 7.5/10 | 82/100 | 7.8/10 | 88% | 90% |
Leaving your hometown is never easy, no matter how much you wish to go somewhere else. Leaving it when you’re still a child, however, makes it even harder, specially when it’s because your family is not safe anymore. That’s what happens in Belfast, the semi-autobiographical new movie written and directed by Kenneth Branagh.
The story takes place in Belfast in 1969, when “the Troubles” started (period of deadly sectarian violence in Northern Ireland that lasted until the late 1990s). Our protagonist, a 9-year-old boy simply called Buddy (Jude Hill), suddenly realizes that the street where he’d always lived is no longer safe, with rioters attacking his Catholic neighbors.
While he struggles to understand exactly what is happening, he finds solace mainly with his grandparents (Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench). His mother (Caitriona Balfe) does her best to protect him and his brother while his father (Jamie Dornan) works in England and comes back every few weeks.
Jude Hill’s naïve and sweet performance is one of the movie’s highlights. Buddy provides the comic relief to an otherwise sad and intense story. Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds, whose characters are not named, are also great examples of how older generations are deeply rooted in their hometowns, fearing anything else that might take them out of their comfort zone.
Jamie Dorman does a great job as the conflicted father, who’s trying to do what’s best for his family. But the scene-stealer is Caitriona Balfe, who shows a wide range of emotions in a beautiful and reserved way. Another highlight is the soundtrack, including “Everlasting Love” during one of the best scenes of the film.
Even though it shows a specific conflict in the world, Belfast’s story is meant to be universal. So much so that the characters don’t have names, with the boy being the only one named – with a generic name of Buddy, who can be any boy we know.
That broader appeal may be the reason why Belfast is connecting with audiences so much. There are many elements, especially the family relationship, that can resonate with anybody.
Shot in black and white, with a handful of scenes in color, Belfast is a love letter not only to that city, but also to everyone who’s ever had to make a choice between leaving and staying – whichever decision that might have been.
