Blitz Parent Guide

Few periods of British history are remembered with more pride than the Blitz. For eight months beginning in September 1940, Hitler sent waves of bombers to pound British cities and destroy the country’s industrial capacity while weakening the morale of its people. Each night as the bombers approached and the air raid sirens wailed, Londoners ran for safety – and since Underground stations were not yet authorized as shelters, they sometimes had nowhere to go.

After a night of terror when East Enders finally force their way into the local Underground station, Rita (Saoirse Ronan) can no longer justify keeping her nine-year-old son, George (Elliott Heffernan) with her. She can’t leave her job in an armaments factory, but she signs him up for the government’s program to evacuate children to the relative safety of the countryside. Angry and defiant, George quarrels with her at the station. He soon regrets his treatment of his mother, and one hour away from London, jumps from the train and starts the long walk back home. Over the next few days, George will encounter the best and worst of his fellow Londoners, come to terms with his mixed-race identity, experience agonizing loss, and become a local hero. He will also have enough experiences to fuel a lifetime worth of nightmares.

I must give credit to Steve McQueen (the British director, not the American actor) who both wrote and directed this fierce, touching film. Not only does he give both George and Rita compelling stories, he also delivers a granular look at the on-the-ground experience of living through the Blitz and writes a love letter to London and its people. McQueen doesn’t fall into the trap of glamorizing the period: yes, there are plenty of stiff-upper-lip moments and cheery sing-alongs in shelters, but there are also ugly moments of racism and theft from the dead. He goes further and makes the effort to accurately depict a multi-racial London, part of the legacy of colonialism that already marked the city’s population. It makes for a richly textured film, one with color and life and depth.

Most remarkably of all, Blitz tells its story while staying well within the PG-13 rating. There’s no sex, minimal profanity, occasional drinking, and war-related violence. The most gruesome scene, however, doesn’t come directly from the war, but is due to criminal activity. After a bomb hits a nightclub, a gang of thieves swoop in, removing valuables from the victims’ dead bodies before the authorities arrive to clear the site. That moment is as chilling as it is gruesome. But in contrast to the darkness, the movie also provides powerful messages about courage, kindness, self-respect, racial pride, and the strength of the mother-child bond. There are no reasons teens can’t watch this film and plenty of reasons why they should.

Viewers of all ages will appreciate the high quality of this production. The cast is superb: I don’t think Saoirse Ronan is capable of performing poorly in a film and young Elliott Heffernan brings authentic emotion to his role. In addition, the cinematography is excellent and the soundscape is often obtrusive but nonetheless effective. In fact, the film is so good that I encourage people to see it in theaters: it will be coming to Apple TV+ in two weeks, but the sound and cinematography have more impact on a big screen. And it doesn’t hurt to vote with our wallets: if we buy tickets to films like this, we encourage the studios to make more of them.