by John Zenoni
I know I'm probably going to get slammed by many (including particular family members who just might read this, ha!) but I just don’t get all the critical acclaim and hoopla over Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film, ‘Belfast.’ I'm not saying it's a bad film by any means and the music alone by Van Morrison - and here I'm sure I'll get slammed again but I've never really been a fan of his (yes, I know he has written some classics!) - is amazing. Yes, I actually enjoyed it! But when you can only understand about 2/3 of the dialogue because of the heavy accents, it's going to impact your movie-watching experience. Plus, since the film is being played out through the eyes of a young Branagh (done very well by Jude Hill as Buddy), you hear side-discussions amongst the adults in his life, so it's hard to pick up on everything. Perhaps I'm being overly-critical but I'm just saying.
There are some enjoyable moments played out by the cast and it really shines through in the performances. But the the whole turmoil in the 60’s in Northern Ireland is hard to watch at times. And it breaks your heart for the young family, who's trying to decide whether to stay or move far away from the fighting and unrest.
As far as the performances, all do quite well but the biggest surprise to me is Jamie Dornan, who plays Pa. I've only seen him in snippets of things before - that of Christian Grey in particular- and have to say he does a pretty good job. It goes without saying that Judy Dench is remarkable and truly is a legend in the acting world.
Overall, the black-and-white vs. color works well and the last 30 minutes are actually - while the saddest - my favorites. I do predict many awards for the film, as it has ‘critical-acclaim’ written all over it. But to me, it's just an enjoyable film, not a great one.
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