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Belfast -
There's a lot to like about this autobiographical movie by Kenneth Branagh, which recounts his childhood during the Troubles. I appreciate the unusual cinematography for how it appropriately makes almost every shot resemble a photo in a family album. Also, every main performance deserved to be nominated for an Oscar, my favorite being Jude Hill's Buddy, who obviously was not just selected for resembling a young Branagh. There's also the Van Morrison-heavy soundtrack and the scenes like the one after the opening credits that make it easy to understand why Buddy and his family wonder if they should remain in their hometown. Colin Morgan, who has come a long way from Merlin, is truly menacing as the self-appointed, Catholic-hating leader of the neighborhood, and the scary stuff thankfully doesn't shirk on the violence.
With no disrespect to Branagh's childhood, and despite what I like about his depiction of it, the end results amount to pretty boilerplate stuff. It wouldn't be far off to sum it up as "Academy-Award nominated coming of age movie." If you thus assume if there are scenes when Buddy tries to woo the prettiest girl in class, his grandparents dispense advice while playfully chiding each other, his parents argue about money and Buddy tries to process the local pastor's scary sermon, you'd be right. The movie has other issues, such as not totally committing to letting us view the Troubles through Buddy's eyes. Again, the quality of the production is top-notch, I appreciate its history lesson, and for the most part, I think it's worth watching. I just wish Branagh and company had taken more risks and dug a little deeper instead of prioritizing the likelihood of standing on award podiums.
There's a lot to like about this autobiographical movie by Kenneth Branagh, which recounts his childhood during the Troubles. I appreciate the unusual cinematography for how it appropriately makes almost every shot resemble a photo in a family album. Also, every main performance deserved to be nominated for an Oscar, my favorite being Jude Hill's Buddy, who obviously was not just selected for resembling a young Branagh. There's also the Van Morrison-heavy soundtrack and the scenes like the one after the opening credits that make it easy to understand why Buddy and his family wonder if they should remain in their hometown. Colin Morgan, who has come a long way from Merlin, is truly menacing as the self-appointed, Catholic-hating leader of the neighborhood, and the scary stuff thankfully doesn't shirk on the violence.
With no disrespect to Branagh's childhood, and despite what I like about his depiction of it, the end results amount to pretty boilerplate stuff. It wouldn't be far off to sum it up as "Academy-Award nominated coming of age movie." If you thus assume if there are scenes when Buddy tries to woo the prettiest girl in class, his grandparents dispense advice while playfully chiding each other, his parents argue about money and Buddy tries to process the local pastor's scary sermon, you'd be right. The movie has other issues, such as not totally committing to letting us view the Troubles through Buddy's eyes. Again, the quality of the production is top-notch, I appreciate its history lesson, and for the most part, I think it's worth watching. I just wish Branagh and company had taken more risks and dug a little deeper instead of prioritizing the likelihood of standing on award podiums.