ST. LOUIS — Some films feel like a delicious homemade meal, especially in the way they make you feel during the running time and after you leave. If you're thinking about a movie on your way home, the filmmaker did his job.
Kenneth Branagh did an impeccable job constructing his latest directorial effort, "Belfast." It goes down exactly like a warm meal, one that stuffs the belly and makes you tell others that it deserved their time. The "Hamlet" director doesn't always hit the bullseye (occasionally missing it entirely, like "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit"), but his latest sits up next to his best.
What am I talking about? The movie follows a small Irish community in 1969 during the deadly civil wars in the city and across the country. "Belfast" revolves around a family living in this dangerous yet enduring small pack of streets, where you can't get past two houses without a chat or a laugh--but just as easily find some trouble. But the heart of the matter here is the durable bond that a close-knit family can form in the harshest of times, and how it can get tested with the opportunities to escape it all.
Branagh's tale, which he also wrote the screenplay for, has characters named Pa (Jamie Dornan), Ma (Caitriona Balfe), Pop (Ciaran Hinds), and Granny (Judi Dench). Every actor disappears into their roles, seamless performances that feel lived-in and well-established from the first handful of scenes. All the listed actors could find award nominations in a month or so and it would be well-earned.
Balfe is best known to film fans as Christian Bale's wife in "Ford Vs. Ferrari," but she makes for a fierce Irish lioness here, running into sure danger multiple times to save her kids (Jude Hill's Buddy and Lewis McAskie's Will), even using the lid of a trash can to evade hurling rocks during a street riot. It's an eye-opening role, and she also helps pull a nice job from Dornan, who is more hit and miss in his career yet finds better roles in homegrown indies like "Belfast."
Hinds and Dench are master performers, creating a lovable and hilarious older couple, the neighborhood grandparents whom everyone knows and speaks highly of. Hinds' work with the young yet formidable Hill are heartbreaking and so patient, two performers digging deep into the bond between Pop and Buddy. You'll yearn for more time with them in this smooth-moving and lean ensemble drama.
Keep an eye on Hill. If Branagh's film has a compass, it's the young boy who comes to know war as a neighbor instead of a would-be threat--and the way he finds solace and warmth during those rugged pre-end-of-innocence days. He doesn't overact or push the emoting too hard, wisely playing it all straight, sitting in the audience's shoes as the story unfolds.
I also admired the lightness of this film, and the fact that Van Morrison performs all the film's music. If you know the legendary singer's edgy yet nostalgic delivery, you'll know it's a versatile sound that can stand up during multiple moods. The color and musical fire comes early and often in "Belfast," a movie that really feels alive and real, not a show that paid professionals are putting on. Occasionally, it can feel as authentic as a loud yet enjoyable old couple passing you on the street.
When it ended, I wanted more time with the family and world Kenneth Branagh had created.
