User Reviews

Writer-director Kenneth Branagh tells a semi-autobiographical story. Young Jude Hill is playing in the street outside his row house, when suddenly Protestant gangsters march through and smash every Catholic household's windows, rip up the paving stones, and drive everyone, Catholic and Protestant alike to refuge. Soon the British Army is setting up occupation of the street, as the neighbors help each other, and Hill's immense extended family, presided over by grandfather Ciarán Hinds and grandmother Judi Dench seem to take everything in stride. But there's family problems as well as religious ones.

This movie reminded me of 2018's Roma, an important moment in history through the eyes of a boy filtered through the adult sensibilities of the film maker.... but without the extreme deep-focus camerawork that kept me wondering when we were going to start telling another story. Branagh gives us visual fireworks, with the attack on the street shown from young Hill's perspective, with a double-360-degrees panorama in slow motion.

In the end, the story is less about flashy camerawork or the religio-political uproar of the times, but how a loving, committed, decent family gets on with life, raising children, earning a living, and loving each other. Most stories about love are about the big events, the flashy events. This one shows us the day-to-day of love while everyone else is worrying about the big events.

To some it would come as a surprise that Kenneth Branagh is from Northern Ireland.

He never hid the fact that his family moved to Britain once the Troubles started in the late 1960s.

Once they arrived Branagh had to modify his Irish accent to fit in.

The semi autobiographical Belfast expands on the forces that drove Branagh's parents to take the momentous step to move away from their homeland.

Starting off in colour, it moves into black and white. Buddy is playing with other children in his neighbourhood. It is 1969 and both Protestants and Catholics live on the same street.

Suddenly shocking violence erupts, a Protestant mob wants to force the Catholics out.

In this turmoil, Buddy's dad who works as a carpenter in London contemplates moving to the mainland. Not helped by the financial woes over a tax demand.

For Buddy it also means leaving behind his grandparents and the girl he fancies at school.

For his dad, he is being pressurized to choose sides. It is no coincidence that one of the movies the family watches at the cinema is High Noon.

The Troubles is now mainly consigned to history. I speak to my children in the past tense as to my experience of growing up during the IRA bombing campaign ranging from the 1970s to the 1990s.

There was always a danger that visiting a city centre in the mainland during Christmas meant the risk of some kind of car bomb suddenly going off. In fact there was a day when I was stuck in a traffic jam meaning I was delayed getting to a place that was earlier blown up by an IRA bomb.

Belfast has been called nostalgic, having a thin plot. It is life affirming but does not shy away from the turmoil. It is framed in a child's viewpoint, wonderfully played by Jude Hill.

The events of the film are still relevant. Brexit has placed dangers on the Good Friday Agreement. The present Tory government is cynically playing fast and loose with it. The impact of the Troubles must never be forgotten.

This film was funny, heartfelt, sad and scary all in one. Although it is based at the start of the troubles the film didn't fully focus on the terror those times caused. It was good to see the Northern Irish humour being portrayed. Belfast isn't just about bombs and religion.

For those distraught about the film being black and white. Seriously?! I didn't even notice after about the 30seconds. It brought the film to its time and gave it charm. In all a great, mostly, light film based around a horrible time in Belfast.

"Go. Go now. Don't look back. I love you, son." Granny (Judi Dench)

You can complain that Kenneth Branagh his filtered his 9-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) through his own rose-colored revery of the 1969 bloody ethno-nationalist uprising in Belfast, and you'd be right. However, like all of us remembering, that past is most pleasantly remembered through the lens of loving family struggle that binds.

While Branagh doesn't shy away from how the Northern Ireland Troubles between Protestants and Catholics was challenging all families, his endearing portrait of Buddy as a curious and sweet, albeit precocious, school boy for whom the biggest conflicts are figuring out how not to emigrate from Belfast because of the violence and connecting with the elusive little blonde who occupies the top of her class with Buddy.

One of the best movies of the year, Belfast gives scant references to Branagh's eventual rise to the top of his filmmaking class and emphasizes the effect a loving family can have on a small-town lad. Especially nostalgic is his interaction with his Granny (Judi Dench) and Pop (Ciaran Hinds), who best represent the benign Belfast world, the one so difficult to leave behind.

Branagh brilliantly chooses a sharp black and white for most of the film, as if to say, "Unlike the color opening, my story will be realistic in a cinematic sense that black and white usually represented in mid-20th century films." Adding a bunch of bad-boy Van Morrison tunes is a perfect surround-sound for the contradictions of Buddy's coming of age in a civil war that is both secular and religious.

The joy of this film is the 9-year-old's warm, nostalgic remembrance of a war-torn land. Belfast confirms the suspicion that those of us lucky enough to grow up in a loving family can survive war and even coronaviruses and become world-renowned filmmakers.

Belfast is one of Kenneth Branagh's best films, and that is saying much.

A very solid if unremarkable coming of age film set during the Irish troubles of 1969.

This movie was very reminiscent of the 1987 film "Hope and Glory," only that film was much better. In fact, this movie reminded me a lot of the kinds of films that came out in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, accomplished and pleasing Oscar bait movies that gave not especially sophisticated adult film audiences products that were good and substantial enough to make them feel like they were seeing something important but safe enough to never make them feel challenged or threatened.

For me, what gave "Belfast" its heart was not the central story about a little boy and the parents who want to give him a better life than war-torn Ireland allows, but rather the side story about the enduring love between his grandparents, played by Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench. The best scenes in the movie were the ones featuring those two, and Dench's scene at the end is the one that lingered with me most. I was thrilled to pieces when both of them were recognized with Academy Award nominations.

Grade: A-

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Belfast" (2021) is a wonderful movie written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Clearly inspired on this person's childhood, this movie is not about religious disputes or anything like that. Its a movie about one men's memories about his childhood. What things look to him at the moment is what we see true his eye. And despite living on a different place and time me myself in my childhood i could easily relate to it because everyone remember their grandfather and grandmother for being ones heroes and etc. Their first best friends, their moms and dads and their inner backyard as being center of the world. At the end of this wonderful movie i remembered "Tokyo Story" (1953) because of its similar feeling and ideas it gave to me.

Overall, perfectly paced at running time 1 h 35 min "Belfast" is one of the best movies i saw in some time. Directing and writing were probably best Kenneth Branagh has ever done. Acting was amazing by everyone and cinematography and art design really place one in that place and time. Great movie.

I love Kenneth Branagh - he succeeds because he respects audiences, and he also respects the conventions of the sorts of films he's making. He does so enough to know when to break and subvert those conventions, and when to obey them. But Belfast is a different sort of film in his history - a very personal one, and ultimately it feels like not enough of anything to really succeed on its own terms.

It's a not-so veiled autobiographical tale of a boy growing up in Belfast, and it's resolutely told from the child's point of view. So much so that the political context, the problems of adults and the social atmosphere are all filtered through the boy's eyes and ears. Is that why the dialogue feels simplistic and sometimes expository? Is it a sign if skilful writing, or a sign of overly simple writing? It's not clear.

It's sometimes, well played and looks stunning - the cinematography is beautiful. Occasionally it all feels a little too small scale - which may be, like the dialogue, a deliberate way of showing the child's perspective or it may just be a bit shrunken. Ultimately the whole film promises much and delivers not enough; it's neither bad nor boring ... but nor is it what it could or should be.

Well, that was emotional. It felt as if Kenneth Branagh had filmed my childhood. Perfectly captured how it felt being a child in the troubles; family, community, intimidation & the traumas of deciding to cross the water & of leaving family behind, the recognition of the 'othering' the Irish experienced once we got here. Well done. Stunning cinematography, dialogue that resonated for me & a bunch of excellent Irish actors. Dame Judy's accent though...

Writer and Director, Kenneth Branagh provides this heart warming reflection of his childhood in an all black and white feature depicting Belfast from 1969. Through the eyes of a 9 year old boy, you experience the trauma of obstacles, the joy of simplicity, and the impact of genuine relationships in this story about one family wrapped into a story about one country.

Synopsis:

"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."

What You See, Feel, and Hear

This film is much deeper than what is represented on screen. On screen, you experience a very neutral energy within the script. Even with devastating moments you don't necessarily go through a journey of difficult emotions throughout the film, but rather it's as if you're watching "real life" depict itself on screen. The story was blatantly.. simple? As a viewer you're looking to get attached to something in order to feel invested within a film and that seemed a bit difficult at times. With minor moments of relationship building and humorous interactions I found myself a bit scattered with what I was focusing on. One thing I fell back on was the camera work. With a very simple story, Branagh introduced his version of creative camera work to capitalize on the art of storytelling. I relate this camera style to Wes Anderson with stationary movements and intriguing camera angles to enhance the subjects that were in place.

The acting was phenomenal yet I fear may go unnoticed. Jude Hill executes beautifully on his feature film debut as he manages the tone of emotions throughout the entire story as a 9 year old boy. The performance that allowed me to feel the severity of the circumstances was from Caitriona Balfe (Outlander, Ford v Ferrari, Escape Plan) who plays the role of Buddy's (Jude Hill) mother. I found it impressive how Kenneth Branagh truly made this film his own. This was the first script Branagh had written since 2006 where he wrote "The Magic Flute". Many cast members, including the production team, were raised in Belfast and had personal connections with this story. You even see a nod to Branagh's directorial work as you see Buddy reading a Thor comic (Branagh directed "Thor" in 2011).

Branagh decided to make this film black and white and I can only imagine that he wanted to capture the right energy with this script, especially while taking place in 1969. Within moments of the story you see the detail of art at work as emotions change strictly due to the use of cameras and sound. With a $7 million budget there wasn't a lot of room for substantial changes including lighting. Almost all the lighting during this film was used with only available light, meaning no additional lights were supplied even for scenes taking place indoors. The score was loose and "fun" and supplied a sense of childish light to the darkness of circumstances taking place.

My Take

I was a bit underwhelmed with the plot, and very pleased with the creative work and acting performances. The up-close dynamic of cameras on abstract angles was used almost perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Buddy and his grandfather, their humor matched each other and though there weren't many moments between the two of them on screen, the ones that you do experience are the ones you remember most. I also enjoyed the authentic love story from the perspective of a 9 year old child. The most interesting secret was the color transition between black and white to color with specific scenes. I imagine this was due to separate fantasy and reality or past and present but regardless, it added a touch of curiosity and changed my passive viewing behavior to an active one. Overall, this is a beautiful film that is exceptionally slow from start to finish with subtle spurts of spontaneity.

Grade: 7.2/10.

Greetings again from the darkness. Despite Irish ancestry, during my childhood, Ireland was vaguely described as a place to avoid due to the Northern Ireland Conflict (also known as The Troubles). In contrast, the childhood of writer-director Kenneth Branagh was smack dab in the middle of this political and religious mess. This autobiographical project is a sentimental look back at his youth and the connection to his career as a filmmaker. This is very attractive and appealing filmmaking, and one that acknowledges the violent atmosphere without dwelling on it.

An opening aerial view of present day Belfast shipyards in full color abruptly transitions back to black and white 1969. A young boy plays and skips cheerfully as he makes his way through the apparently idyllic neighborhood. The pleasantries are shattered and give way to the frenzied fear and havoc created by an approaching angry mob. The native Protestants' goal is to push out all Catholics from the area. The happy young boy we first see is Buddy (played by newcomer Jude Hill), the stand-in for Branagh as a child. While watching, we must keep in mind that we are seeing things unfold through Buddy's eyes - which are actually the eyes of a middle-aged director looking back on his upbringing. This explains the sentimentality and nostalgia, two aspects handled exceedingly well.

Buddy and his older brother Will (Lewis McAskie) live with their parents Ma (Caitriona Balfe, FORD V FERRARI, "Outlander") and Pa (Jamie Dornan, "The Fall"), and are close with Granny (Oscar winner Judi Dench) and Pop (Ciaran Hinds, one of the finest supporting actors working today). Pa spends much of his time away in London working as a carpenter, leaving Ma parenting diligently to create normalcy for the boys during tumultuous times. An added stress is the financial woes Ma and Pa face over tax debt. Granny and Pop are an endearing elderly couple still very much in love, despite their constant needling and bickering.

As things escalate, the division over religion becomes more prevalent. Although he attempts to stay out of the fracas, Pa is faced with the "either with us or against us" decision - something he avoids as long as possible. Ma is obsessed with keeping her boys on the straight and narrow, despite their naivety and the many forces pulling them away. The family finds its emotional escape at the local cinema, which treats us to clips of bikini-clad Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS BC; Grace Kelly and Gary Cooper facing off with a similar 'stay or go' dilemma in HIGH NOON; John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE; and Dick Van Dyke in his flying car from CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. The sense of awe and wonder is laid on a bit thick for effect, but it helps us connect young Buddy with present day Branagh.

It's quite a family dilemma. How do you decide to pack up and leave the only town you've ever called home, and when do you make that decision? When does the danger and turmoil pose too much to risk for your kids? There is a fun scene that provides young Buddy a lesson on how to answer, "Are you Protestant or Catholic?" It plays comically but has a serious undertone. Speaking of Buddy, newcomer Jude Hall in his feature film debut, uses his sparkling eyes and an engaging smile to light up the screen. His adolescent pining for Catherine (Olive Tennant), the smart girl in his class, is worthy of the price of admission. All of the actors are terrific, and in addition to young Mr. Hall, it's Caitriona Balfe (as Ma) whose performance really stands out. Award considerations should be in her future.

Filmmaker Branagh has assembled a crew of frequent collaborators, including cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, who works wonders with the monochromatic scheme. The soundtrack is chock full of Van Morrison songs - it is Ireland, after all, and the overall feeling is that this is a film Branagh needed to make in order to deal with his childhood prior to his family relocating to England. By not avoiding The Troubles, yet not focusing on it, Branagh has told his story in a personal way that should be relatable to many. It's a terrific film.

BELFAST opens in theaters on November 12, 2021.

"If they can't hear you, then they're not listening."

Kenneth Branaugh's Belfast is an autobiographical account from his childhood. It depicts a story about a young boy and his working class family experiencing the tumultuous late 1960s in the hometown of Belfast. I'm going to say it, I've never been taken away by Branaugh's direction in the past. He's a great actor and all, but when it comes to filmmaking, everything I've seen from him has either just been okay or disappointed. Maybe it's because he's never made something as personal as this. Though I don't think it's as wonderful as everyone makes it out to be, I did find myself enjoying Belfast. It manages to create a story centered around family and what it feels like to be a child growing up in a place that's dear to you. With the story being almost auto-biographical, you see the world as Branaugh did. It's a fun and lovely story, even if it touches on heavier subjects like loss and riots. I found the screenplay to be written well. Honestly, this movie could very well be considered a comedy. It's full of humor and light. Still, it can play out a bit melodramatic, especially the end. The ending for me was a little abrupt. I was told there was going to be a scene full of emotion to make everyone cry, but that moment passed and it was the end. I'm glad it ended on that note instead of Branaugh's original ending which had a documentary sort of thing going on and him returning to Belfast. Luckily we have editors to cut things out.

What made the movie, at least for me, were the performances. With the likes of Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, and Ciarán Hinds you're in for some great acting. Dench and Hinds have smaller performances than the others but play the perfect grandparents you'd want. Dornan, and though we've known he's a better actor than his work in the 50 Shades series, is great and has a lot of fun with his more serious role that does get to have some fun. The absolute best comes from Balfe. She's the best part of the whole movie. For me, she was that part that made the movie most emotionally gripping. And then there's Jude Hill who is the only lead. He may be whiny and that irritating kid sometimes, but he sees the world as a new adventure everyday which is always pleasant to watch. As his first major role and at such a young age, I believe he did a good job. Branaugh set out to make a movie that would possibly win him awards and be the crowd pleaser of the year. Personally, I don't think his direction was all that amazing. He does a good job, but it felt like we've seen variations of the movie already and it was easy to know everything to come. As stylistic as he may try to make it out to be, the only stylish thing is the black-and-white cinematography and all the movies and stage performances are shown in color. I don't think everything he did works (the first couple minutes of the movie did not start out so great), but he did make a solid movie in the end. Belfast is a heartfelt watch and has great performances and good writing, but I ended wanting more out of it. I do think this will go well with audiences and critics, some calling it the best of the year. It comes out in a couple weeks and is bound to win some Oscars, so check it out if you'd like.

A lovely film, well filmed and beautifully acted by the main actors and particularly by Jude Hill. Filmed in black and white it caught the era well and the soundtrack by Van Morrison was perfect.

BELFAST is a moving period piece set during a child's idyllic youth interrupted with the street violence of hooligan factions during civil unrest in 1960s Northern Ireland, but despite wonderful performances by its cast, the film fails to capitalize on its own premises.

THE GOOD: Performances are stellar. Jamie Dornan and Judi Dench are standouts, and young Jude Hill is thoroughly captivating as Buddy. A heartfelt, fully owned ensemble makes this whole affair watchable.

THE BAD: The film's premise is centered on sectarian violence between warring religious factions, but we never come close to a payoff there, only seeing a blocked off street and the occasional angry interlopers to remind us there's a fray at hand.

THE UGLY: The production decision to present in black-and-white with the out outward-in color insertions was as pretentious a choice as I've seen in quite some time.

CONCLUSION: If you've nothing else to do with your Saturday night, by all means give this a watch, but you may find yourself wishing you'd made plans instead.

Kenneth Branagh does not claim that his family actively opposed vigilante violence or that they took risks to defend Catholic neighbors-- which would have made for a compelling narrative of valor and self-sacrifice. Instead, we see that his father didn't want his family conscripted into a Protestant mob (good on him) and sought a better life for all of them 'across the water.' Sincere congrats to them, but I'm not sure I detect either heroism or a valid movie premise here, and I certainly don't detect any sophisticated or nuanced political/social commentary about the troubles. Times got rough. The family bailed, as I probably would've done in the circumstances. Baby Branagh had to leave his hometown and his wee sweetheart, and then he had to learn the received pronunciation to adapt (and eventually thrive and succeed at an enormous level). Sad? I guess, maybe, at the time.... Am I judging them? Absolutely not. But am I shedding tears for them or especially moved by their story or their moral example? Definitely not. They did what they had to do for *themselves* in a bad situation. No more, no less. I fail to see what I was supposed to get invested in or care about here.

Branaghs very personal movie is undoubtedly entertaining and beautiful to look at with it luminescent B&W film. But as a drama it lacks. The violence that drives the family to leave doesnt really ratchet up. The tension doesnt bite deeper as the story progresses. And the open air scenes are so choreographed they could have been pulled directly from a Busby Berkley movie. But Branagh delivers pure gold in the intimate scenes with the family. Its worth watching just for these exquisite collections of little scenes. Its been compared to Roma, but doesnt come close. Both have fabulous cinemaphotography, but thats where the comparison ends. Dench and Hinds are superb, Balfe is the strongest apart of course from the child lead who lights up the screen like no other. Lingering closeups .....yes thats what I will remember most.

Belfast is a phenomenal drama that's really funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking whilst also feeling deeply personal for writer/director Kenneth Branagh. A film that's easily one of his best.

Jude Hill gives an incredible lead performance full of the necessary warmth, joy and adorable naivety. Caitriona Balfe gives the standout performance and Jamie Dornan finally has a role that shows what he can really do. Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds are wholesome scene stealers.

Kenneth Branagh's direction is outstanding, consistently beautifully framed with every single one looking amazing with the transition from colour to black and white really working. The soundtrack is great and adds a lot to the more emotional moments.

Belfast is one of the most beautiful black and white films I've ever seen. It is written and directed by Kenneth Branagh and based on his own childhood in Northern Ireland.

The story take place in Belfast as the political troubles began in Northern Ireland in 1969.

We see this world through the innocent eyes of nine year old Buddy who lives with his Ma, Pa, older brother, and grandparents. Although there is unrest in the streets, the story is really about a Irish family struggling to raise their children. A father that must work in England and is never at home and Buddy's Ma is left with the task of taking care of everything.

Then Buddy's world is turned upside down when Pa wants to leave Belfast and all its troubles behind and start a new life in England.

The film's cast is absolutely brilliant, Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan and Jude Hill as Buddy.

I really enjoyed Belfast and I am so happy the film is more about family and not really focused on the political events of that time.

"Belfast" is a film that showcases a decent amount of technical prowess, but fails to fully realize its potential. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film is set in the titular city during a time of political upheaval and sectarian violence. The cinematography is well done, capturing the gritty atmosphere of the era with a keen eye for detail. The actors, especially Caitríona Balfe, turn in strong performances that anchor the film and give it emotional depth.

However, despite these strengths, "Belfast" falls short in a number of areas. The story itself is somewhat predictable and lacks originality, relying on familiar themes and tropes that have been seen in other films about conflict and strife. While the direction is competent, it doesn't do anything particularly innovative or noteworthy.

Additionally, the film struggles to fully engage the audience on an emotional level. Despite the solid acting performances, the characters feel somewhat shallow and undeveloped, which makes it difficult to fully invest in their journeys. The film also fails to fully capture the complexity of the historical and political context in which it is set, instead opting for a more straightforward and surface-level portrayal.

In conclusion, "Belfast" is a decent film with some noteworthy strengths, but it falls short of greatness. The cinematography and acting are strong, but the story is predictable and the direction is uninspired. While it's worth watching for fans of the genre, it's not a must-see and won't leave a lasting impact. I would give it a 6 out of 10.

Kenneth Branagh delivers a beautiful, heartfelt film about a family in 1969 Belfast. Branagh's love for the town of Belfast is palpable. The cast is superb--especially, Caitriona Balfe, whose portrayal as a wife and mother, torn between staying in her native Belfast as religious and political violence escalates or moving to England for her family's safety, is heartbreaking.

Director Kenneth Branagh returns to his childhood past in Belfast, a black and white memory of the age old struggle between Protestant and Catholic during heightened tension between the two in the late 60s and early 70s known as The Troubles. Branagh and clan left early in a conflict that would go beyond Northern Ireland borders and last 30 years so the title can be a touch deceptive in that it deals more with a family in conflict than present an all encompassing overview of a city and its people under duress that certain places (ex: Dunkirk) evoke.

Belfast is mostly seen through the eyes of a child, impressively played by Jude Hill, as he tries to make sense of all the calamity as well as understand the logic of his parents and grandparents. As the parents in crisis Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan share some powerful scenes together while Ciaran Hinds turns in his standard solid work and Judy Dench delivers some touching moments as the grandparents.

Branagh's direction is inconsistent though with some scenes flat and near pointless. His mise en scene rings artificial and some of his minor casting has a falseness to it as well. Branagh also shies away from expressing the deep seeded hatred between the two groups in favor of the family dynamic at play and in doing so dilutes the desperation they face. A mediocre nostalgia piece whose title and place in history deserves much deeper examination.

I enjoyed this film so much. I was a child in the 60s and most of the detail in recreating the atmosphere of the era brought me to tears. Seeing Star Trek on the TV in the background, Turkish Delight and Omo featuring. Telling the story of the conflict through the eyes of a child is a master stroke as is filming in black and white. My only criticism is that ethnic minorities feature in the film whereas they didn't so much in the streets of Belfast during that era. Producers of films these days seem to want to appease minority groups rather than be faithful to history. It's a shame.

A film that reminds you of the great moments in Lady Bird and JoJo Rabbit, with a coming of age arc at the center of a movie about what "home" means. But it doesn't quite live up to either story overall. Belfast is a well done film however, it also may be the years most overrated.

7.2/10.

What was it Mike Nichols once said, a film is like a person and either you trust it or you dont? I think that could be said for Belfast but I thought of it more about a kind of personality that a filmmaker brings to a work as well as the cast and everyone else involved, and on that note Belfast to me is a total sweetheart of a movie, where it has many moments where it's quite cute and charming, but it's always based around the fact that this family is doing their best and more or less succeeding in caring for one another and (as Dornan's dad points out towards the end to the little boy when he asks about if a Catholic can be with a Protestant) what the basic power of kindness can do.

It's a film that manages the feat of having sentiment and even some sentimentality, but earning it throughout because (outside of maybe the bookends where the "Troubles" and all that horrible violence in the streets comes knocking) it doesn't cheapen what the stakes are or what these characters are going through. The basic question of "staying or leaving" is not one we haven't seen before in other films, and I'm sure we'll see again, yet Branaugh as writer/director gives the people here this honesty that is a family that is there together and there is this struggle (mostly for dad) to keep it together.

This is beautifully rendered as well with this point of view coming from the little boy (standing in for Branaugh at that time I can assume but as with like Roma who knows) as he peers in on these arguments and conversations that have a repetition that isn't repetitive, if that makes sense. If you've been in a family that has money problems, this is just the way it is, and Dornan and especially Balfe have this chemistry that works perfectly.

Another thing in its favor: you think the little boy Buddy (played by Jude Hill) will be cute and his interactions with others, especially the grandparents (good lord do Dench and Hinds, the latter I hope gets an Oscar, steal every scene they're in) could get tiresome, but Branaugh manages to keep him engaging and this mix that's hard to describe where he's universal and specific, like you don't even have to be a little boy just like at some time if you were young and trying to figure out a world that has so much stuff in it and there's the escape of movies and the wonder of astronauts alongside the horror of men in the streets throwing molotov cocktails... OK that part isn't everyone's experience, but there's little things Branaugh gets so right as a writer; my favorite is when his older cousin ropes him in as part of a "gang" initiation to steal something from the local sweet shop. How that resolves itself is ::chefs kiss::

This whole thing reminds me of like what if you took one of those stories of childhood via Frank McCourt (or Malachy, one of those) and imbued it with a lot more warmth and a generosity of spirit, and it's in general a difficult movie to dislike or be too hard on without sounding like a grouch without any feelings. At the same time, I am critical of how the film opens and comes to a climax inasmuch as the "Troubles" set pieces are shot and presented in this tremendous manner that, of course, are impossible to ignore as far as the history at the time in Ireland and that city as a whole

But it can't help but feel like... this is where it's a MOVIE in large letters, shot in an intense style like this is where it all becomes so overwhelming, which makes sense given the POV of this boy, and at the same time it loses that intimacy you have throughout the rest of the film, where it's power is in showing life's little moments having even more of a lasting impact. Also, with the one supporting character trying to force the Dad to pick a side as the one person I didn't quite believe (not the actor so much as the character, kind of one note you know). As a small technical aside, as much as I like Branaugh's eye for compositions (both usual and unusual, his framing is off in interesting ways), the digital quality of it all is distracting for me, and I wish this was shot on film for that crisper look.

All that doesn't take away from the pathos that is all here, with humor that works because it's based around like how much we may have enjoyed being around people like this in our families. Is it idealized? I don't know, but it doesn't come across as that, if anything it shows that the human soul and spirit can be resilient and this is a lesson for kids all over but also ones for the adults, too. How is one any *good* in a family? Hard to say, except it comes down to being there and not giving up. That's the kind of tone Belfast has, and it is filled with little grace notes - one that I'm sure to remember is when Dench's grandma tells the grandpa before he has to go to the hospital that she will go with him by bus and take him in and stay with him till its all done and then take him home. She doesn't state it in any way that sounds false, and none of (admittedly very good) Van Morrison music to score this beat. It's just two people who have a love that is self evident by actions.

So, in short: a sweet-heart of a movie, not to mention last but certainly not least that this is a fun time of expressing how remembering history through some pop-culture filtering can be entertaining and insightful (High Noon song, anyone?)

The Belfast depicted in this movie is so scrubbed clean it might as well be a theme ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, not a city full of working-class slums in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The opening shots remind us they built the Titanic in the Belfast shipyards. Cut to the neighbourhood of, presumably, coal miners and dock workers. What are they doing? Drinking excessively at the local pub, spouting bad poetry and fist-fighting in their work clothes? Nope. They are all dancing, skipping and kicking around a homemade ''football" (aka soccer ball) in Tide-clean designer casuals. They are also all remarkably good looking and - biggest stretch of all - have perfect teeth.

Into this utopia of Protestant/Catholic integration comes an angry mob from around the corner (or out of the pub or the sewer, it's not clear). Lest the producers offend one side of the other, it's not immediately clear which side the mob represents. If they were carrying any flags I missed them. I have Red Hand of Ulster memorabilia and believe me, it's branding you can't miss.

Angry mob burns and loots. Neighbours pick up the pieces and promise not to hate each other. Erect barricades. And mostly go back to worrying about household debt and the little girl next door. The barbed wire and suspended civil liberties? Minor inconvenience.

Of course, it wouldn't be the 2020s without a bl3ck policeman, the brown grade-school teacher, or the Sikh shopkeeper. I joked to my wife: "I bet that's more melanin than existed in all of Ireland in 1969."

The story never gets much beyond, "Honey, we gotta get out of this shythole." The reality is there are WAY more Irish around the world than there are in Ireland. Precisdely because it IS a shythole full of bitter, angry, resentful, grudge-carrying, poetry-spouting, alcoholics.

On the other hand there are a lot of sweet performances, esp by the kid. I could see why this got a lot of awards hype. It might even fool enough movie-goers before the Irish get back to what they've done best for the past 400 years - devote their lives to killing each other.

Great cinematography, mundane storyline. This felt like a Ron Howard movie or maybe a Hallmark Channel movie. Overly melodramatic, the father and mother looked like models, give me a break.

The trailer looked really good, but the actual movie was a by the numbers time killer. Like something one would watch on a long flight to help them get to sleep.

Disappointed, I expected something more edgy from Branagh.

Forgettable movie, shame really, interesting topic could have been more realistic and not filled with stereotypes and predictability. The little kid protagonist started to get on my nerves also.