There is an argument that can be made on the idea of family, the structures of both immediate and surrounding coming into question. Where many find it in the tightly comprised unit of mother, father, siblings, and grandparents, others find it in the community around them, a communal experience heightening the idea of home. And home is where the heart is.
Belfast is a film about family, but also a love letter to those who encompass the fighting spirit of the people of Ireland, no matter where their journeys have taken them. For many, their neighborhood constructed families created a home that transcended the man-made walls of buildings, a community whose wealth and peace were in each other. Though for many, in the late 1960s, this sense of community was shattered as riots and a lack of opportunity forced many to leave their homes. Yet, while many may have had to leave, their hearts were always with Belfast.
Director and writer Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film of his growing up in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s captures the spirit of family, community, and country, giving the idea of “a fork in the road” a new definition, all while proving that no matter where you are going, you will always remember where you came from.
An Opening That Demands Your Attention
Opening to modern Belfast, Ireland, viewers are taken through the city, its skyline, streets, and buildings capturing the beauty of the vast city. There is the feeling of history that resonates from this opening montage, Van Morrison‘s “Down for Joy” heightening the upbeat feeling and love for a city that flows through the veins of this film. As the film settles on a mural, Belfast transforms from color to black and white, the transformation speaking to the semi-autobiographical nature of the film, the transition from color encapsulating the feeling viewers are being welcomed not only into a moment in time, but a memory.
As a woman steps outside of her home, the camera travels through the street taking in its inhabitants, the lively nature speaking to a communal kinship. The camera finally settles on its subject, Buddy (Jude Hill) fully encompassing the youth of a child, playing with his friends, a trash can lid used his shield. As the various adults around inform him his mother is calling, the early established communal feel is heightened, driving the idea of children being raised not by a pair of individuals but by a community.
It is heartwarming, a feeling brutally sliced as an angry mob turns the corner from both sides onto the street. As they yell, the camera spins around Buddy, the sound becomes muffled. There is a sense of shock viewers will feel along with Buddy, the upbeat music cut, and the surrounding sounds muffled, impending violence welcoming intensity. As Molotov c*cktails are thrown, windows smashed and threats thrown, all before an exploding car, there is the sense of a community changed forever. This feeling is immediately confirmed as radio is overheard speaking of the riots, a barricade crafted at the end of the street to protect its citizens. While not immediately aware, the rioters are a group of Protestant loyalists who come to drive out the Catholics. While they all speak, sound, and look the same, religion continues to drive hatred and division.
The Eyes of Youth
Belfast excels in the direction of its core character. The film is told from the overwhelming perspective of Buddy, the innocence of childhood captured in the score, contrasting the atrocities and increasing violence surrounding him. Through Buddy’s perspective, Belfast captures not only a time period of history, but the constant challenges of the innocence of childhood, the challenges of adults never too far from the eye and ears of children.
Many shots brilliantly capture Buddy’s perspective, not only by utilizing the viewpoint of the camera but also by the designed framing of many shots throughout Belfast. Oftentimes, Pa (Jamie Dornan) and Ma (Caitriona Balfe) are seen talking to one another, their voices forcibly at times kept just above a whisper. As we watch them on the far right or far left, Buddy is always on the other side of the frame, just out of view of his parents. At the very beginning of the film, Granny (Judi Dench) calls out Pa and Pop (Ciarán Hinds) for trying to converse quietly amongst themselves just outside the home. They are not as quiet as they think they are. This intimate and enclosed setting is maintained through the framed perspective of Buddy, who too overhears what was thought to be a quiet exchange.
The Road Less Traveled
For a majority of Belfast, each character is presented with the idea of two roads, one a straight and the other winding and uncertain. While the Preacher, in the beginning, speaks of one of these roads leading to Jesus, Belfast proves that not all roads have definitive ends. For Ma and Pa, there is a push and pull that carries throughout the film. A struggling mother left to care for her two children, as her husband’s opportunity for work takes him away from weeks at a time in England, each is pushed to a decision. As he works to pay off their debts, they are both faced with a fork in the road – to stay in Belfast or to permanently travel to England. While Ma, and Buddy, proclaim their distaste, the film questions which road is the hardest to travel, and at what point is a change necessary for survival.
As the world seemingly falls around them with each passing day and month, there is a sense of safety that is felt both by the character and viewer in the setting of Belfast. A country known since birth, to leave would be to change everything they have ever known, challenging the security created by their community. There is a contrast in perspective between Ma and Pa, both born and raised in Belfast, Ma has never left, her roots never stretching beyond the city limits. Both funds, fear, and comfort have kept her in place. For Pa, his work has already taken him outside of Belfast, his leaving for weeks at a time opening him to the idea of living anywhere in the world.
And while there is constantly the push and pull of whether to stay or leave, it is the community around them that becomes the biggest influence. As the safety of their community is chipped away slowly piece by piece, it is met with the happier moments, making the decision of which road to take all that much more difficult. Belfast carefully crafts this push and pull not only in the dialogue but in its setting and score, constantly leaning into both sides of the debate. As the tranquility of the street and comfort of the community begin to give way to violence, danger, and callous treatment of their debts by the government, it becomes harder to reconcile their desires for themselves and their children.
While as a viewer you may have an idea of where the story is headed, and what the final decision will be, Belfast is committed to the journey to get there and keeping viewers along for the ride.
Conclusion: Belfast
Belfast feels personal, a heart pouring depiction of youth, memory, and change that speaks to a time period that would reshape Belfast and further drive the spirit of the Irish. In the face of turmoil and violence, there are those who stayed and there are those who kept it alive in their hearts. Belfast is a film that will creep into the recesses of your mind, its upbeat music and deeply rooted examination of family and the journey one that will not be forgotten. Coupled by A brilliant script by Branagh, and stand out performances by Dornan, Dench, Hinds, Hill and especially Balfe, Belfast is not to be missed.
Have you seen Belfast? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Belfast is currently available VOD!
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