Belfast

Egy szerény, de szeretetteljes élet viharos időkben, családi értékek és nehéz döntés a nagy változásról. Feel good érzés a régi Belfastból egy háromgenerációs családról, amelynek színészi szereplőivel öröm együtt lenni, még akkor is, ha a történetük egy kisfiú szemével csak közepesen érdekes. Nem Shakespeare-dráma, ahogy azt Kenneth Branagh rendezőtől elvárnánk, csak egy kis emberi önéletrajzi történet a gyerekkorából, és egy szerelmi vallomás azon filmek iránt, amelyeken felnőtt. Abszolút finom fekete-fehér filmművészet. (2021.12.10)

In frequent comparison to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Belfast cautiously wins because Kenneth Branagh doesn't try to cement his own experiences and perspective on the world as a monument or eternal truth. Like almost every similar gallery of memories, it relies on an emotional impact that is rather sensed and cautious, rather than being able to take one's heart. Every school hour, mischievous escapade, or laid-down backpack are just images from someone else's childhood and pale in comparison to any childhood adventure or mishap that the viewer themselves experienced. The best scene, of course, remains the oft-mentioned "Everlasting Love". If it were the final scene, I would let its power completely consume me and forget everything I have written so far in my review. (2022.03.07)

This movie wants to have a Roma aroma, even though it is not Roma, so then, what is it? It is Belfast. I can see why Kenneth Branagh wanted to make this into a movie, and I sincerely hope he is as happy as possible with the result because I cannot imagine anyone else will be. I have seen four movies today, and this one, while by far the shortest, felt the lengthiest. I did not find Branagh's nostalgic reminiscing about the backdrop, which is a Belfast cul-de-sac, captivating at all. As I continued watching, I gradually became more and more limited to simply look for one particular trailer scene. However, when Jamie Dornan finally starts singing "Everlasting Love", it was not even really worth it. (2021.12.25)

As Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical account of his childhood, Belfast does not deny its academic ambitions, and given the nature of the subject matter, one cannot blame the director. Although the film depicts difficult times, it is made with endearing lightness and humour. The black-and-white format suited the seemingly grim theme perfectly, while the opening colour sequence made a nice advertisement for Belfast. I commend the camera work, especially in terms of the planning of shots, and I liked the inclusion of the immortal song Everlasting Love, as well as a few direct visual references to period films. Of the cast, the grandparents, played by Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds, were by far the most memorable to me, but the performance of young Jude Hill is also worth mentioning. I believe that audiences who have lived through this (or similar) periods will find Belfast more appealing than I did - I took it primarily as a nicely filmed and acted one-watch flick. (2022.03.01)