Belfast (2021) (Short Review)

Title: Belfast
Director: Kenneth Branagh
7/10

Focus Feature

Semi-biographical film by Shakespearean director and actor Kenneth Branagh, which represents the climate of violence in the Irish capital, inspired by religious and ideological disagreements between "gangs" of extremists. All seen through the eyes of the boy Buddy, who grows up with his parents, brother and grandparents in a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone but that does not prevent them from taking sides for or against violence as a political expression.

The moment in which Buddy is carried away by a teenager girl and participates in an act of vandalism, is an example of how the gang violence enters the lives of many minors, almost naturally, part of the environment, search for acceptance, almost like a game but that ends up leading to heinous decisions and actions over time. Hence the parents' decision to travel, to get away from that environment. Something with which many people can identify even in these times, unfortunately.

The film is very well told, having as its axis the child and his relationship with the adults around him and the environment that is becoming more and more rarefied, further complicating his life. The film's photography is in black and white, giving it a retro and documentary tone (it is rare that the monochrome style gives us the sensation of realism, of veracity) very striking. The opening and closing in color seem out of place. It is said to be partly inspired by Cuarón's film Roma, which also used black and white as a way to convey its story. Only in this case it is a vehicle for the memories of the director who left his city to escape the violent environment of those years. A correct film, but perhaps sinful of a simplistic view and a bit of abuse of sentimentality as any "autobiography" can have, but the roundness of its story was awarded the Oscar for best original screenplay.