In rounding up all the Best Picture candidates Belfast was always high on my watchlist and sitting down with it was long overdue. Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical story of his blue-collar neighborhood addresses a very tumultuous time in Ireland, head-on, with heart and humor.
A countrywide conflict, known as The Troubles, sweeps across Ireland and lands on the doorsteps of young Buddy and his family. With unemployment skyrocketing, their neighborhood under military quarantine, and looting in the streets, the family is faced with the painful choice of waiting out the conflict or looking for a better life elsewhere.
Kenneth Branagh has had a robust career both in front of the camera and behind it and his acumen for the industry all culminated with this story based on his childhood. His personal connection to the storytelling comes through the camera and hits all the right notes, balancing the emotional challenges of the adults with the youthful innocence of its lead. The screenplay zeroes in on the family’s perspective instead of the historical unrest and that’s a good thing because it allows the characters to thrive in telling the story through their own lenses. Branagh tells the story so naturally, it’s no surprise to see the nod for Best Original Screenplay. Still, placing your life story in the hands of an 11-year old with no experience was a risk but it worked out well, preserving the authenticity of the character and making the dilemma facing the parents more impactful.
Jude Hill just won the Critics Choice Award for Best Young Actor and rightfully so. He is the emotional center of the film and hits the mostly universal beats from childhood that make him endearing in the lead. I wouldn’t call it a coming-of-age story in the traditional sense but it has some of the familiar hallmarks. Hill maintains a youthful sense of humor with the character who is experiencing his first crush, dealing with his father’s absence and is still just being a kid while also trying to wrap his head around the conflict that’s unfolding all around him.
Both Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench received Oscar nominations for their supporting roles in this film, playing Buddy’s grandparents. They have a very cute dynamic together and have that vibe of a couple that has been together so long that they can comfortably tease one another without it veering off course. Hinds leans into the lovable grandpa role with ease and his relationship with Buddy benefits from the boy’s father being out of town for work more often than not. In many ways, it’s the defining relationship of the film as Hinds’ character Pop is deeply entrenched in Belfast, for better or worse, while Buddy is at the mercy of a rapidly changing horizon. Hinds was born in Belfast in 1953 so he was a teen at the time of the film’s events, so there’s a personal connection that helps inform his portrayal.
Who doesn’t love Dame Judi Dench? And rightfully so. She’s great but, for my money, it’s her castmate that should have gotten the Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress. Caitriona Balfe plays Buddy’s mother with tremendous poise and heart, given the circumstances surrounding her character. Her husband is away working, trying to dig his way out of debt, and her sons’ lives are quickly changing as unrest sweeps through their neighborhood. Meanwhile, she is trying to keep it all together for her family in the face of rising uncertainty and economic pressure. It’s a nuanced performance that has to take a lot into account and is the most weighted when it comes to the big decision that’s on the table. I’m glad to see Balfe get the nomination for the BAFTA because it’s a performance that deserves recognition.
We were also treated to a good turn by Jamie Dornan, who continues to put together interesting and diverse roles as the Fifty Shades franchise gets farther in the rearview. Dornan was also born in Belfast 13-years after the timeline of the film, so he brought some first-hand experience to the table with him as well. In his role as Buddy’s father, he grapples with notions of masculinity and fatherhood as he tries to provide for his family while rarely being around in the capacity of a dad. It was a solid turn and I look forward to more of these kinds of complex roles in the future.
The filming style felt a little weird at first. I don’t have any issues with the black-and-white, but there was just a weird quality in the cinematography that I couldn’t quite place. It’s tough to explain but it just felt like I was watching something on a stage. It was only during the beginning of the film when it first switches from color to black-and-white and then it finds its stride. There is also a big emphasis on the value of cinema and theatre to the family but to Buddy specifically, and that’s where some color gets injected.
Two-time Grammy Award-winner and inductee to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, Belfast’s own Van Morrison is predominantly featured on the soundtrack and also wrote the original song “Down to Joy” that’s nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song.
I had this movie on my watchlist when it debuted in November of 2021 and it already had plenty of buzz at the time but it’s always a little different watching a film after it has already been anointed with Academy Award nominations. In many ways, I’m watching to see if the film lives up to the lofty pedestal on which it has been placed. In this case, the film embodies many of the qualities I look for in a Best Picture candidate and I enjoyed it more as it went along. Not only does Belfast deserve to be in the conversation but, in looking at the other candidates, I can see it as a dark horse to win.
Recommendation: See it for the performances and the family heart that goes along with it.
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