I remember hearing about this film for the first time, and I thought it should be interesting. Then, I saw some stills from the trailers and immediately got reminded of Roma (2018), a movie I loved. So, and I hate to admit this, I re-dubbed this film in my head to “Roma, but make it Irish”. And then all the Oscar love came pouring in, confirming my pre-existing bias towards this film (because the Academy usually loves these “look how/where I grew up” movies) for no reason other than those two films look and feel really similar. Well, I have finally watched it, and Belfast is many things, but “Roma light” ain’t it. Yet again, I was so glad to be confirmed wrong and reminded myself to be more open-minded.

If there was one thing that got me emotionally watching this film, it was the different relationships. As this film is told from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy, we get to explore all kinds of relationships between him and his parents, classmates, and grandparents. But, and this is imperative to mention, it’s not just about him. Belfast explores the adult relationship very finely too. Whether it’s the marriage that’s hanging by a thread due to everything that’s happening, a very long relationship between the grandparents that might be coming to an end due to an illness, or how the neighbourhood feels like it can blow up at any minute due to ‘The Troubles‘.

I won’t go into this complex historical, political and still relevant discussion, but I would recommend you read the Wiki article linked above. But you don’t have to read or know about it to understand Belfast. Sure, it will help you to understand what is happening, but the movie paints a broad enough picture that gives you the basics without trying to skew you in any direction. That is one thing I liked; given the POV should be from nine years old boy, you never get any feeling of “who is right and who is wrong”. All you will know from watching this film; is there is a conflict that seems religious (but it is more complex), and people can turn on each other quite quickly. That is pretty much it. And as much as some people might expect this movie to make any political statement, it doesn’t. It simply shows you how it used to be, at least from the perspective of young Kenneth Branagh, as it’s based on his growing up in Belfast.

There are many great actors in this film, from the young Jude Hill to Jamie Dornan (who, spoiler alert, can act, so don’t judge him solely on his appearance in the 50 Shades franchise) and Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds, who I would both title, Masters of the Craft. Because these two giants show you it’s not about how much screen time you have; it’s about what you do with it. Both gave magnificent performances, and their relationship felt so genuine that it affected me in ways I didn’t expect. However, there was one actress in this film; who stood above all these fine performers for me – Caitríona Balfe.

Her character might be the most complex one here, constantly fighting for what is right, raising her children pretty much on her own and not losing sight of what’s important. Her character (simply called ‘Ma’, the same way Dornan’s character is ‘Pa’) could have easily gone the other way, the way of “nagging wife” in the hands of a lesser actress or worse script. But it was the script (which we can say now is Oscar-winning) that gave her many things to chew on, and Caitríona absolutely delivered. It is a shame that the ‘Best Leading Actress’ category was packed in 2022 because, in most years, she would have not only scored a nomination, she would have been one of the frontrunners. As we (through her son Buddy) spend the most time with her, she carries most of the movie on her shoulders and boy, does she deliver. I especially loved her performance in the riot scene towards the end and then the short moment of levity; between her and Jamie Dornan towards the end, the two of them dancing. Where you can see why they are still together, despite what we saw throughout the entire film. I hope this will be the role that bumps her name on some producer’s call sheets, and we get to see her more.

And it was in these smaller character moments that Belfast convinced me that it deserves the highest rating. The movie started on a slower note, sure. But once you see the different relationships play out in front of you, and they all feel true; like these could be members of your family (and I swear I might have recognized one or two), that is where you can’t help but feel for everything that happens to them. Sympathize with their struggles and go on that journey with them all.

Overall, Belfast surprised me in many ways. The film is about a political situation, yet, the film wasn’t political, preachy, or anything remotely close to that. It surprised me how many truly great performances we’ve gotten, where most characters don’t have such a significant screen time. It surprised me how well everything clicked together and how emotional it made me feel towards the end. And most importantly, it surprised me by not being “Irish Roma“. Kenneth has made his most personal movie yet, and it shows. If you haven’t seen Belfast yet, I would strongly recommend it.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke