Kenneth Branagh’s BELFAST
Movies In Focus lived in Belfast for six years before moving to England. I’ve recently moved back near the city – and it’s a place which I have a strong emotional attachment to. It’s a wonderful city, a vibrant city and a city which has seen its fair share of violence over the years. Much of Ireland has.
Kenneth Branagh was born in Belfast and his his new film is a semi-autobiographical tale about growing up in the city as the violence of ‘the trouble’s spread in the late 1960s. Written and directed by Branagh, the film stars Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Lara McDonnell, Ciaran Hinds and newcomer Jude Hill.
This trailer for Belfast ties the present to the past, merging from colour into black and white. It’s a great piece of film marketing.
Belfast opens in UK Cinemas on 12 November 2021.
The synopsis:
From lauded director Kenneth Branagh, and starring an acclaimed ensemble cast, Belfast is a personal and joyful story about the power of memory, set in late 1960s Northern Ireland. At the center of the film is Buddy, a young boy on the cusp of adolescence, whose life is filled with familial love, childhood hijinks, and a blossoming romance. Yet, with his beloved hometown caught up in increasing turmoil, his family faces a momentous choice: hope the conflict will pass or leave everything they know behind.
The images:
The poster:
