Belfast is Kenneth Branagh's own autobiographical account of a boyhood period during The Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969. Jude Hill plays his character, called Buddy, as his working class Protestant family is threatened by demands that it (Pa is Jamie Dornan and Ma is Catriona Bailfe) join a resistance when constantly approached by the handsome revolutionary bully played by Colin Morgan (oddly lefr off imdb). You're either for us or against us. It is conscripted tribalism. The historical period is known as the Shankill Troubles.
The film is bookended by violence, the last episode leading the family to relocate to England.
The core story is presented in black and white, which a staged neighborhood in Belfast, with businesses like a 'licensed bookmaker' (for sports bets). The film is framed with color credits and extras. The family sees four movies as refreshing entertainment, from which excerpts are shown: 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence', 'High Noon', 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (the airplane-train ride), and '1 Million BC'.
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(Posted: Friday, November 19, 2021 at 10 AM EST)