Belfast Parent Guide

Buddy’s (Jude Hill) Belfast neighborhood is almost too good to be true. Everyone knows everyone else, everyone keeps an eye on the kids playing in the street, everyone banters back and forth…but things are changing in Northern Ireland. Sectarian violence has broken out between the largely Protestant unionists and the largely Catholic republicans, threatening to tear the nation apart.

Even armed gangs and British soldiers can’t stop Buddy from growing up. He continues to study, play with his friends, and develop a bit of a crush on a girl from school – all in all, a normal childhood in a time of troubles. His father (Jamie Dornan), on the other hand, is starting to think it might be time to move the family to England, where he’s been working, to spare them the worst of the conflict. His mother (Caitríona Balfe) objects, hoping to keep the family just where they’ve always been, in their tight-knit community in Belfast. As the violence intensifies, they may have to make that choice sooner than either of them would like…and far before Buddy is ready to leave his home.

Based largely on director Kenneth Branagh’s own childhood in Belfast, the film is a bittersweet love letter to the city, and a heartbreaking look at how that city was torn apart in The Troubles. Buddy’s neighborhood is brought to vivid life thanks to a superb supporting cast, consisting of Dame Judy Dench, Ciarán Hinds, and Jamie Dornan. Were that not enough to pique your interest, the soundtrack by fellow Belfast native Van Morrison is another reason to give the film a chance.

I’m not entirely sure how Branagh has managed to make a film about one of the most dangerous periods of modern Irish history with so little negative content, but he’s done so without sacrificing any of the story’s emotional impact. Told exclusively from Buddy’s point of view, we barely even hear about (let alone see) the violence from which his parents are so eager to shield him. There’s also remarkably little drinking or profanity. The movie’s PG-13 rating is fair – it’s certainly suitable for teenagers, providing they’re willing to sit through a drama shot entirely in black and white.

Despite the film’s monochromatic palette, its excellent cast, brisk Irish wit, and heartfelt look at a time gone by give it more than enough color to keep an audience enthralled. If you’re here to see Kenneth Branagh, fear not, he does appear in the film – but only for a moment. Don’t worry if you miss it: his abiding love for his hometown and his childhood shines through every frame, and I think that gives us a better measure of the man.