A young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s. – IMDb
Belfast (2021)
Starring
Judi Dench, Caitríona Balfe, Jude Hill, Lewis McAskie, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds
Written and Directed by
Kenneth Branagh
Box Office:
$48,882,325 Gross Worldwide
Review
I haven’t expressed my love for Outlander too many times on my site, but to be honest- I was team Claire and Jaime since the day the show first premiered. Naturally, when I saw that Balfe was to be in a movie alongside Dame Judi Dench, its release couldn’t come fast enough. Alas, life got busy and here we are, watching the film a tad late. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
Music
As someone who loves music, and who appreciates a good soundtrack when she hears one, the music used in the film was perfect. Especially, the use of several Van Morrison tunes (he was born in Belfast). This film was an unexpected roller coaster of emotions for me and the music definitely tied in to how the viewer is engaged in the film. I give the film’s overall score a bonus point for using such great music.
Cast
As you may have guessed from my introduction, I am a huge fan of this star-studded cast. While much can be said of the more well-known actors, I’d like to take this time to give credit where credit is due.
The main character, Buddy, is played by Jude Hill. While it’s not bizarre for young children to pull at my heart strings, Hill fit his Belfast role perfectly. I must say, Belfast is not too shabby for a feature film debut! You can now find him in Magpie Murders, which is also being added to my “must watch” list.
It was also nice to see Hinds play such a paternal role. More often than not, I think of him portraying a creepier character (For the life of me, I can’t pinpoint the exact role I’m thinking of. The Woman in Black, perhaps?). He and Dench have great chemistry and it is quite difficult to not think of your own grandparents as you watch them interact with the children.
Jaime Dornan and Caitríona Balfe are wonderful (as usual).
I’m not sure if I was expecting more romance, but I was pleasantly surprised at how the focus was not on their love story. I usually do not enjoy lovey-dovey films to the extent that others do, so this film was perfect.
As for Dame Judi Dench, what can I say? If you’re a fan of hers, you’ll automatically enjoy watching her in this film. While I appreciate her as an actress, she isn’t one of the people whose films I must see as soon as they are released. This role reminded me of her role in Chocolat; meaningful, and important. If you enjoyed Chocolat, odds are, you’ll enjoy this film too.
With the setting of the film, and the emphasis put on family, it also reminded me of Angela’s Ashes. Set in the 1920’s, Angela’s Ashes offers a different story, with a different family dynamic. I haven’t watched that film in quite some time, and I only read the book once. Nonetheless, that too, pulls on your heartstrings in a slightly similar manner.
Overall
I really enjoyed watching this film, tears and all. It was the perfect balance of love, laughter, and life’s highs and lows. I found the “lighter” moments were inserted at the right times. The writer and director truly knew what they were doing in order to tell a story, and be realistic. All the while, they also provide the comfort needed to keep the viewer wanting to ride the waves of emotions until the end.
I think I would watch this film again, but I wouldn’t say it’s on my list of yearly viewing films. I would recommend this film for a rainy day. Just be ready to grab a tissue if needed, and have the phone nearby to call your parents and/or grandparents if possible.
See Also:
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