I remember how bizarre it was a few years ago when Roma came out. It was shot in black-and-white, and showed director Alfonso Cuaron’s childhood in the ‘70s in Mexico. It had some protestors, which livened things up for a scene or two, but it was basically a big bore. Yet for some reason, critics wanted to praise it.
That same thing is happening with director Kenneth Branagh’s picture. It’s his childhood in the ‘60s, in Belfast. It’s also filmed in black-and-white, has a few more riots, and is also boring. In fact, the film should be called Bel-slow (that would have worked better if you heard the rim shot in my head).
The autobiographical story takes us back to 1969, with the Protestants and Catholics fighting in Northern Ireland, and a 9-year-old boy that just wants to play with trash can lids and swords with his friends. Newcome Jude Hill is terrific in the role.
We watch him deal with a crush he has on a girl (who is Catholic), and molotov cocktails exploding around his family, and his parents’ marriage being strained by all the upheaval. He wants to leave, and she wants to stay in their hometown. Oh, and his parents might be the best looking parents any kid had. They’re played by Jamie Dornan (50 Shades of Grey) and Caitriona Balfe (Outlander). And on the subject of the cast, it was brilliant to have Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds (The Debt and There Will Be Blood are my favorites with Hinds) as the grandparents. Listening to Hinds talk to his grandson...provided moments I wanted more of. I also wanted the movie to feel a bit more realistic. It’s like broad strokes were painted of a rather long civil war that went on, and it felt like I was watching an episode of The Wonder Years (although I was never once bored watching that show).
There are some stories that should have been more interesting -- a school girl crush (with a Catholic), a scary church minister screaming about heaven and hell. There’s also an older brother, but...we get to know him about as much as we did Richie’s older brother in Happy Days. Even the scene where we see the young boy loving cinema (at a viewing of Chitty Chitty BangBang)...made me think of how brilliantly that was conveyed in the sorely underrated Scorsese film Hugo. And on the subject of Hugo -- the expression of the audience when they see the very first movie ever made -- A Trip to the Moon in 1902 -- makes more sense. A goofy car going over the cliff in Chitty Chitty...not so much.
I’m wondering if Branagh didn’t want to delve too much into the dark areas so that families could enjoy this film. The problem is...if I was bored with it, there’s no hope that a kid would derive any enjoyment from this. We needed a bit more drama and depth from these characters.
Great cinematography and lots of songs by one of my favorites, Belfast’s Van Morrison, who even did a new song for the film (my favorites in the film were Bright Side of the Road and Jackie Wilson Said).
Side note: Morrison has come under scrutiny for his stance on vaccines, but I don’t think musicians’ songs in movies hurt them; The Joker made insane money, and they used a song by child molester Gary Glitter. But I digress.
I wanted to like this movie as much as Jim Sheridan’s In America in 2002.
This is getting lots of Oscar buzz, but I can only give it 2 stars out of 5.