The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Ken Loach

Country

UK | Ireland

Cast

Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, Laurence Barry, Mary Murphy, Myles Horgan, Martin Lucey, Roger Allam, John Crean, Damien Kearney, Frank Bourke, Shane Casey, Máirtín de Cógáin, William Ruane, Fiona Lawton, Sean McGinley, Kevin O'Brien

Storyline

Ireland, 1920. Workers from field and country unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to face the 'Black and Tans' squads that are being shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for independence. Driven by a deep sense of duty and love for his country, Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy (Pádraic Delaney), in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom. As the freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and the families, who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another as sworn enemies, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.

Opinion

Brutal, intense, and heartbreaking, The Wind That Shakes the Barley wonderfully outlines a tragic period of Irish history.

A decade after Land and Freedom, following the Spanish Civil War, British Ken Loach came back with another piece of twentieth-century history. This time he deals with the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. 

Obligated to take a stand, Loach he takes the side of the oppressed, the Irish. But he is clearly not intentioned in making IRA propaganda, or portraying Irish as unblemished heroes and martyrs, and that is shown by two pretty much identical scenes, one in the middle and the other at the end of the film. Those two scenes show brutality and atrocity of civil war, and underline its ability to set nation against nation, man against compatriot, and brother against brother.

The writing is a good and bad. While the dialogue is good, and the story works fine, the characters lack of something. The portrayal of the characters might be maximised by body language, but the character development is rather poor, and the film fails in creating characters you care about.

The photography is superb, and the costumes are excellent, but the sceneries are a bit monotonous and repetitive considering all Ireland has to offer.

The acting is overall good. Cillian Murphy convincingly plays Damien O'Donovan, even though Pádraic Delaney does a better job in the role of his brother Teddy, as he is blessed with a more interesting character. Liam Cunningham stands out among the supporting cast.

This may not be a masterpiece, but it's worth the time. 

Quotes

Damien: It's easy to know what you are against, but quite another to know what you are for.

Frank (2014)

Genre

Comedy | Drama | Music

Director

Lenny Abrahamson

Country

United Kingdom | Ireland | United States

Cast

Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Carla Azar, François Civil

Plot

Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender).

Opinion

Oscar Wilde once said, "Every man lies, but give him a mask and he will be sincere". This film is an example of that. Frank is a funny, clever, moving, surreal and unusual film.

The autobiographical experience of screenwriter Jon Ronson, upon which the film is based, certainly helps, but Lenny Abrahamson's film is something more than a man in the papier-mâché head. The film shows the thin line between artistic talent and insanity, and also the difference between going viral and being popular.

Michael Fassbender's performance as Frank is stunning. Despite the covered face, he manages to show the depth of the soul of such a complex character through gestures and voice modulation. In the spectacular closing scene, when Michael/Frank finally takes the mask off, all we see is a man in tears embarrassed by the awareness of being different.

Quotes

Frank: I say, tell everyone everything. Why cover anything up, right?

Rating

9.0/10

This Must Be the Place (2011)

Genre

Drama

Director

Paolo Sorrentino

Country

France | Ireland | Italy

Cast
Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Eve Hewson, Kerry Condon, Harry Dean Stanton, David Byrne, Olwen Fouéré, Shea Whigham, Liron Levo, Heinz Lieven, Simon Delaney, Kristine Graverson, Er Li Deng

Plot
Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a wealthy former rock star, now bored and jaded in his 20-year retirement in Dublin. He retired after two of his teenaged fans committed suicide.

He travels to New York to reconcile with his estranged father during his final hours, only to arrive too late. After reading a few of his father's diaries, Cheyenne realizes how the life of the father has been in the last thirty years: he devoted himself to obsessively seek a Nazi criminal who took refuge in the United States.

With a relentless slowness and no investigator ability, Cheyenne decides to continue the research for his father and, therefore, to go seek, through the United States, a nonagenarian German probably already died.

Opinion
This Must Be the Place is entertaining and occasionally very moving. The lyrics of the Talking Heads song that gives the title to the film, plays a role in one of the most important and intense scenes and represents a kind of summary of this film.

The directory of Sorrentino is good; the wide shots, which suggest the characters' moods, are alternated with intense close-ups, which focus on the characters' wrinkles and face's lines. The music of David Byrne emphasizes perfectly every single moment. The performance of Sean Penn is good.

Quotes
The problem is [...] without realizing it, we go from an age where we say, "My life will be that" to an age where we say, "That's life".

There are many ways of dying, the worst of them, is to continue living.

Rating
8.0/10

Hunger (2008)

Genre

Biography | Drama

Director
Steve McQueen

Country
Ireland | United Kingdom

Cast
Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon, Helen Madden, Des McAleer, Helena Bereen, Laine Megaw, Karen Hassan, Frank McCusker, Lalor Roddy, Geoff Gatt, Rory Mullen, Ben Peel, Paddy Jenkins

Plot
Northern Ireland, 1981. 

The film opens with prison officer Raymond Lohan (Stuart Graham) preparing to leave for work: he checks under his car for bombs, puts his uniform on and ignores the camaraderie of his colleagues. 

Davey Gillian (Brian Milligan), a new IRA prisoner, arrives. Due to his refusal to wear the prison uniform, he is labeled as "non-cooperative". His roommate, Gerry (Liam McMahon), has smeared the cell with faeces from floor to ceiling for resistance to the prison regime. 

The final focus of the film is Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), Irish Republican activist who deeply believes in the cause for which he was imprisoned and in the righteousness of dying for political prisoner status. 

Opinion
With his first film, Steve McQueen gave birth to a masterpiece, in terms of cinematography (memorable is the dialogue between Father Dominic Moran and Bobby Sands) and in terms of emotions (some scenes are so raw to result unbearable).

Hunger is a magnificent picture of an important moment in history. Needless to be mentioned is the majesty of Michael Fassbender as IRA prisoner Bobby Sands. 

If you are easily impressed I highly recommend you to not watch this film.

Quotes
I have my belief, and in all its simplicity that is the most powerful thing.

Rating
8.5/10