FILM OF THE WEEK

★★★★ Belfast (2021) 9.00pm, Wednesday, BBC Two

“Belfast will still be here when you get back”

To describe this powerful and emotional drama as a labour of love is something of an understatement. Not only is it written and directed by a man from the Tigers Bay area of North Belfast, Kenneth Branagh; it co-stars two more actors from Linenopolis, Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds. Meanwhile, the evocative soundtrack comes courtesy of the Belfast Cowboy himself, Van Morrison.

Penned during lockdown and set in Belfast at the end of the 1960s, Branagh’s most personal lm to date unfolds through the eyes of nine-yearold Buddy (an excellent Jude Hill). As The Troubles take hold, the young Protestant boy is unsure why the Catholic neighbours he used to play with are suddenly behind barricades. The increasing tension is a background issue for Buddy, who still loves to watch westerns on TV, meet up with a girl from school, and spend time with his beloved Pop and Granny, beautifully portrayed by Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench. For Buddy’s parents, however, the escalating tensions are very much in the foreground, with Ma (a luminous Caitríona Balfe) determined to keep the family ship afloat, while Pa (Jamie Dorman), concerned for their safety, contemplates uprooting his family to England.

Beautifully shot in monochrome (there are ashes of colour depicting the modern-day city) by cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, Belfast is a triumph, not just for Branagh, but for everybody concerned. Balfe and Dornan (an impossibly glamorous couple!) deliver rst-rate performances, and are matched by the excellent Hinds and peerless Dench. Belfast may be set in a turbulent and violent political time, but Branagh’s Oscarwinning story is more concerned with issues of family, community, connection and wistful memories of a childhood gone by.