BELFAST (2021) 

Belfast is the quintessential ‘feel-good’ movie of the year. The film packs in a lovable lead supported by a charismatic supporting lead, with an extremely wholesome and emotion filled script. Director, Kenneth Branaugh, delivers a deeply personal story, recounting his own childhood experiences in Belfast. I have been a big fan of Branaugh for awhile, and this is definitely one of his strongest directorial outings. As I mentioned, the performances are very warm and lovely. Newcomer, Jude Hill, gives a fantastic performance as Buddy and steers this heartfelt ship through the ups and downs of the narrative. Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan are wonderful as the loveable and vigilant parents with charisma and subtle instances of brokenness and vulnerability. Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench have some really great moments as the grandparents, especially Hinds, who acts as an important mentor and emotional support to Buddy.

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On the technical side of things, this film is also hitting the mark. The production design of the worn down and homely street the family lives on is extremely detailed and really well put together. The black and white cinematography is a great choice to throw us into this world, along with some really compelling closeups and one-shots that were a pleasant surprise to witness. The original score and use of soundtrack is utilized to the best of its ability, especially in a beautiful scene near the end of the film using Love Affair's 'Everlasting Love'.

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The only criticisms I would have of this film is that it is rather easy to gauge and determine where the story is going. There were very few, if not any, surprising things about this film to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as what I was expecting and received was very good. This film is looking to be a big awards frontrunner as we enter awards season, and though I do not see this as being overtly deserving of winning in every category, which I do not hope it does, I will be happy to see it pop up and get some well-earned recognition.