Belfast
2021
***½
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, Josie Walker, Jude Hill
Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical feelgood film takes us to Belfast in 1969. His alter ego Buddy is a 9-year-old boy whose Protestant family faces a difficult decision when the Ulster loyalists begin to attack the Catholics living in their neighbourhood. Branagh's black and white nostalgia piece has relatively low dramatic stakes and it makes no attempt to explain the Troubles. Instead it offers a warm, funny, and sometimes clichéd (visits to the local cinema, Van Morrison soundtrack) trip down one man's memory lane. Branagh won an Academy Award for writing, but his directing style is a bit choppy. He feels compelled to cut every scene short, when this slice of life would benefit from a more relaxed flow. The performances are great, though.
