Belfast

The strength of this film lies in the way director Kenneth Branagh is able to utilize the performance of young Jude Hill--portraying the proto version of himself--to convey all the wonder, fear, confusion and delight that his 10-year-old self felt in his last days in his hometown. The recreation of that milieu is meticulous, with the setting of this story--really, an almost docudrama style witnessing of a clearly defined period in a life--almost serving itself as a character in the tale, a presence that brings the thoughts, feelings, conflicts, and dilemmas of simple, day to day existence in a difficult time and place vividly to life. The cast embodies the director’s family, friends, neighbors and enemies extraordinarily well, delivering performances that bring the dilemma surrounding the fundamental question--stay or go?--right into the forefront of the viewer's mind. One shrewd choice must also be acknowledged: using Van Morrison songs throughout the film, which not only provides a fittingly soulful vibe to the proceedings but also delivers a certain amount of borrowed artistry to the work; you get the sense that Branagh hedged with the music, so that if the audience liked nothing else about the movie, the songs would carry them through. He needn’t have worried; there is more than enough charm, drama, and thoughtful reflection included in this work to resonate with audiences in a most deeply personal way. Undoubtedly, most of us can relate to the life and times depicted here, to some lesser or greater extent, and that connective tissue makes this not just a story of one man's childhood, but a memory that many of us share ourselves, in some small way. Perhaps we all can go home again.