![]() ![]() To that end, Branagh gives us many, many shots of Hill’s Buddy looking cherubically darling, his two front teeth drastically failing to reach accord about which direction they should be heading. This is a child’s-eye view of serious adult problems, in the vein of Hope and Glory, John Boorman’s exuberant 1987 film memoir of being a kid in London during the Blitz. This choice creates a satisfying Hamlet and turns Branagh’s conspicuous habit of overacting into a virtue. ![]() If you’re looking for cogent ideological analysis of fairly recent Irish history, you’re not going to find it in Belfast. Branagh’s performance swings wildly between Hamlet’s famous indecision and the Danish prince’s other signature (but often overlooked) characteristic: his recklessness. Still, his parents decry the violence: Should they stay or should they go? It is, we’re told, “only the Catholic houses” that are the targets of the rioters’ boiling rage, and Buddy’s family is Protestant. The small, tidy house where Buddy lives with his mother ( Catriona Balfe) and older brother (Lewis McAskie)-his father ( Jamie Dornan) is working in England to support the family, returning home for periodic visits-remains unscathed. ![]() That perfect-childhood spell is broken when an angry mob storms the block, smashing windows and setting fires for no reason that would be apparent to a kid. Early in Belfast-shot mostly in nostalgically velvety black-and-white-we see adorably sweater-clad 9-year-old Buddy (played by newcomer Jude Hill) playing boisterously with other kids on his idyllic little street. ![]()
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