By: Andrew Wing
Belfast is a 2021 Northern Irish coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh (directed Thor, and also recently Death on the Nile - see Ted’s full review). The film stars Caitríona Balfe (Outlander, Ford v Ferrari), Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love, Philomena), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades franchise, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar), Ciarán Hinds (There Will Be Blood, First Man), Colin Morgan (Merlin, The Huntsman: Winter’s War), and newcomer Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his “most personal film”, follows a young boy’s childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969.
Belfast had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021; shortly thereafter, it won the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in the United States on November 12, 2021, by Focus Features, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 21, 2022, by Universal Pictures. It has grossed over $40 million worldwide.
The film received seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was named one of the best films of 2021 by the National Board of Review. It tied with The Power of the Dog (see my full review here) for a leading seven nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, and won for Best Screenplay. It also tied with West Side Story (see my full review here) for a leading eleven nominations at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards, including Best Picture, and also received six nominations at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, winning Outstanding British Film.
THE GOOD
Did someone say about damn time? Yes, that’s right, Belfast has been at the very top of my list for almost four months. I don’t know why it has taken me so long, but I never got around to seeing it in theaters and I had to wait what felt like forever until it was made available to rent on demand. However, I finally checked it out and now I can officially say that I have seen all ten 2021 films that got nominated for Best Picture, and it’s fitting that I did it this week with the 94th Academy Awards ceremony scheduled for this coming Sunday. But really, ever since it premiered at the 48th Telluride Film Festival in September, it has been one of the most talked-about films when it comes to awards contenders, but the real question is, how did I think it sized up against the rest of the pack? Keep reading to find out!
It is only right that I start with the man in charge here, and that would be director Kenneth Branagh. Branagh’s history as a director is pretty up and down. I mean the film he did before this was Artemis Fowl and a lot of people had that as one of the worst movies of 2020. But needless to say, this was much better than that. In this, we get his personal story which is said to be autobiographical. It follows his time growing up in Belfast during a period where conflict would break out in the streets between Christians and Protestants, and Branagh’s direction here is incredible. There is no denying that he was more than deserving of a Best Director nomination. He put this together perfectly and it was checking every box. There were so many good directing choices here, from the compositions of the scenes to some scenes where Branagh decided to hold it a little longer. He made sure when a character had a moment to shine, you saw all of it up close and I loved that. Also, I was really gripped by the first five-minute sequence of the film, and you knew what you were in for. It was just so incredibly well-made and well-crafted, and I will get into more of the technical elements of the film later, but I’d say Branagh should be pretty proud with his final product.
Not only did Branagh direct, but he also wrote the screenplay for the film, and let me just say, his original screenplay is amazing. Anytime you get a screenplay like this that is autobiographical and tackles a critical time in one’s country that not many people know about, it will surely be Oscar bait. But more than that, the screenplay was made even better with its nonstop charm and a lovely sense of humor. I don’t know how he did it, but Branagh was able with his screenplay to tie in the intimate family life with broader social unrest, and that is what the Oscars are going to eat up. All in all, this screenplay is a beautiful tribute to this family and this community of people, and that’s why I would probably have it as the favorite for Best Original Screenplay. Sorry, Paul Thomas Anderson (see my full review for Licorice Pizza here). It also features a main character that has a love for cinema, so come on, it’s just too easy for the Academy to pick this.
The best part of Belfast though is hands down the performances. All of them to be exact. Everybody sort of got their moment to shine and each of the supporting performances was Oscar-worthy. All of them do a great job, and this movie is just too sweet so they are all extremely likable. The family was where the film shined, specifically everything we see of them as we go on this journey and also how we come to understand the child’s relationships with everyone. With all that said, this is tough, but I will start with who I thought stole the show, and that would be Caitríona Balfe. Balfe’s character is the mother and she had a couple of moments that were incredibly strong and moving. There was one in particular that pulled me very tightly into the movie and I was on the verge of tears dare I say. I was so impressed with this being the first I’ve seen of her and I was shocked to find out that she didn’t get nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. But the main reason for that is because another supporting actress from the film did get nominated, and that was Judi Dench. I mean what do I even need to say, Judi Dench is an absolute legend and one of the best actresses alive today. In this, she plays the grandma and while she doesn’t get as much of an opportunity to shine like the others, she dominates every second of screen time as the sweetest and warmest character you’ve ever seen, and I can see why she got nominated.
Now onto the male supporting performances, first with Mr. Christian Grey himself, Jamie Dornan. He was another real standout in this film for me as he plays the patriarch of the family. He is very likable and funny as the rest of the cast, but the charm of his that comes through is so easy to relate to and understand. He was the protector of his family and he smashed this role. Similar to what I said about Dakota Johnson in my review for The Lost Daughter (see full review here), it is so cool now being able to truly see how talented of an actor he is. Dornan’s character’s father in the film is played by Ciarán Hinds, and I just got to say that I don’t know if Hinds has ever had a performance I haven’t been impressed by. He was superb here as the grandfather, and I loved his back-and-forth banter with his grandson around the topic of this girl the kid has a crush on. Also, he has this poignant moment in a close-up that’s super powerful that was arguably the best scene of the entire film.
Now all these supporting performances are amazing, but now let’s talk about the lead performance we got, and that came from Jude Hill. He was just a really great find, and he killed it. I thought I had seen the best child performance of the year after seeing Woody Norman in C’mon C’mon (see my full review here), but Jude Hill takes the cake. There are scenes where the camera is super close to his face and he doesn’t make a single wrong move. I was blown away, to be honest, he’s really good, he’s charming, and audiences will definitely fall in love with him. He’s also responsible for so much of what is funny in this film from his transparent facial expressions, and he was just a great vehicle for this film. Something tells me we are going to see him have one hell of an acting career.
If anyone has read my reviews for The Tragedy of Macbeth (see my full review here), then you know how much I love me some black and white cinematography, and the B&W in this is remarkable! Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos did a phenomenal job. It’s not like the kind of B&W you got in Macbeth or even last year's Best Cinematography winning film Mank that is almost aroma-stunning, but rather it was more well thought out. It also had a ton of close-ups and I loved all of them as we got all the emotions on the actor’s faces that gave us so many rich moments. The film was just so much visually stronger than I had ever thought it was going to be, and I’m bummed it didn’t get nominated for Best Cinematography.
With me being the cinephile that I am, I just wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t mention all the other technical elements I loved about the film. I absolutely loved the Van Morrison soundtrack we got, specifically “Down to Joy”, and continuing with sound, there was solid attention to sound in some of the more intense scenes. The use of music in this film just transformed it and made it so special. The editing also in this movie is fantastic and the movie flowed so nicely. I could definitely see it winning Best Editing if it wasn’t for the Goliath-like monster that is Dune (see my full review here) when it comes to the tech categories. As for its Best Picture chances, it seems like it is definitely in the top 3 when it comes to winning along with CODA (see my full review here), and the odds on favorite that just so happens to be my preferred choice, The Power of the Dog, but hey, anything is possible.
THE BAD
I loved this movie and if you thought I was going to trash one of the biggest awards contenders of 2021, well you were wrong. The only thing with this movie that I would critique is that the end just sort of fizzled. For the entire movie, the characters themselves deal with something very external and there isn’t a lot of personal internal conflict going on and for me, that resulted in no strong character moment or decision. It just felt like we got this sort of obvious conclusion that we were going towards the whole movie, and then it happened, and then it was over. I don’t know, maybe that’s too nit-picky but I just didn’t get that sort of WOW moment I was expecting with a movie of this caliber.
THE VERDICT
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is a beautiful film that serves as a sweet ode to family and community. It’s taken to the next level with several standout supporting performances from the entire cast, but also the best newcomer performance of the year from Jude Hill. It also features incredible black and white cinematography and one hell of a soundtrack from Van Morrison. Yes, it is a simple film with maybe an underwhelming ending, but it is charming and meant to put a smile on your face, and it certainly did for me.
TED TAKES RATING - 9/10
Belfast is now available to buy or rent on demand. Check out the latest trailer below.