Belfast – A 9 out of 10 on the JWO scale

 

I finally watched Belfast tonight. It is such a sweet, sad and poignant movie. In an era of superhero movies, I was moved to tears by the story. I am glad I watched it at home on HBO so I could put on subtitles. Ironically in the movie one of the characters did not want to move from Ireland because they felt no one would be able to understand them. Somewhat true of the movie as well. Although I normally do not like movies without color, (because the world is in color and we have the technology now) but in this movie, it lent to the bleakness of the circumstances of their lives.

It is the story of a protestant family in Belfast during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s.  I have read this is a semi-autobiography of the writer and directors Kenneth Branagh childhood. Although it was during the Troubles, the story did not elaborate on any of the causes or reasons for them.

The movie was about how one family dealt with being caught up in it, and the question of whether to stay in this tight knit community where their family and friends had lived, or to leave to get a fresh start and a better opportunity away from any support system. This is a story that is universal and relatable.

The story is told through the eyes of a young child trying to figure it all out. It really captured what it was like to be a child trying understand about life in general let alone the challenges his parents and community faced. The acting was superb all around.

During the credits at the end there is a message - “For the ones who stayed,” “For the ones who left,” “And for all the ones who were lost.” I sort of felt that way about leaving the Bronx. Although there are not many who stayed in The Bronx, there were too many who were lost.   I grew up in a neighborhood where I did know most of my neighbors and I knew I could always knock on a door for help or a parent would notify my parents if I did something wrong. I do not see that environment being replicated in America. It is why we find our communities in other ways. The movie really made me realize all the multitude of decisions I have made in my life and how very different my life would have been. (for better or worse).

Anyway, Belfast is a heart tugging, tear jerking movie about family and love and the hard choices we have to make in life. It is well worth spending time watching.