Contemporary 2021 Selection: Belfast (2021)

 Kenneth Branagh's "Belfast"


Kenneth Branagh's most personal film in his oeuvre, "Belfast" seems to take inspiration from Alfonso Cuaron's 2018 masterpiece "Roma." Both films are about existential issues that plague a character during a period of civil unrest while they are coming of age in their home country. "Belfast" is a love letter to Branagh's home town, his childhood, and his family. The film is filled with brief respites of love and community in between moments of harsh conflict between neighborhoods. Branagh chooses black-and-white cinematography (much like Cuaron's Roma) to enhance the feeling of this picture being a memory. 

In Branagh's onscreen childhood, he is constantly watching films, either on the big screen or on television. And it's hard not to have the rest of the film filtered through this perspective of film tropes. Whether it be the dramatic moment his mother uses a shield to protect them against ricocheting rocks or a Western-style stand off at the end of the film, Branagh's child protagonist sees the world around him the way he sees his Star Trek shows and his Western films.  

The drama of his childhood forces the character to evaluate existential thinking. He tries to do right by the pastor and think about what road he needs to take. He must evaluate how to find true love. He must try to decide the difference between fitting in or taking moral high grounds. 

"Belfast" is a coming of age story through and through. It is sweet and sentimental, and offers its characters challenges that feel contemporary. 



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