Blu-ray Review: BELFAST

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Feb 26, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

August 15, 1969 is a day that will change everything for 8-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill) and his working class Belfast family. That is the day that The Troubles came to his neighborhood. What started off like any other day, with friendly neighbors laughing and conversing, and kids playing in the streets, took a sharp, sudden turn as anti-Catholic Protestant rioters made their way down the street with Molotov cocktails, marking the homes of the small number of Catholics peacefully living in the primarily-Protestant neighborhood, screaming for the Catholics to get out. As Ma (Caitríona Balfe) desperately looks for Buddy and his older brother Will (Lewis McAskie) to make sure they are safe, the military arrives with tanks to quell the situation. Once the violence dies down, the community once again bands together to upend the paving stones and build a barricade at the end of the street to prevent future rioters from coming through. Buddy’s father Pa (Jamie Dornan), a joiner who regularly spends weeks away working in England as there is currently no work available in Northern Ireland, rushes back home after seeing the commotion on the news. While it’s not long before things seemingly get back to normal, with the residents dancing in the streets and coming together, however, there is always the threat that things will escalate once again.

Before this happened, Buddy never gave much thought about his neighbors’ religious affiliations, neighbors were just neighbors. But the recent events have caused Buddy and his cousin Moira (Lara McDonnell) to start questioning the difference between Catholics and Protestants. Buddy also becomes obsessed with a fire and brimstone speech given by his minister on taking the right path in life. At the same time, Buddy also has his first crush, a classmate named Catherine who he plans to marry. When Buddy needs answers to life’s questions, he often heads next door to get advice from his grandparents, Pa’s parents Pop (Ciarán Hinds) and Granny (Judi Dench), however, Pop’s advice may be a bit questionable. As Buddy and his family try to live out some sense of a normal life, the state of the situation in Belfast is getting worse, and causing them to think about the future. Neighborhood hooligan Billy Clanton (Colin Morgan) and his sidekick McLaury (Conor MacNeill) are part of the Protestants rising up, and are constantly making threats to those in the neighborhood, stirring up trouble, and insisting that Pa and Will support them in their shenanigans. While Belfast has always been the family’s home, they are struggling financially, and the political situation is getting increasingly dangerous. Is this the life Ma and Pa really want for their children? And so they struggle with the idea of moving out of Northern Ireland.

Belfast is a thoroughly-entertaining coming of age story based on writer/director Kenneth Branagh’s own childhood experiences. While the film has its more dramatic and serious moments being set against this backdrop of a tumultuous time in Belfast, it is also quite charming and funny. with a very nostalgic tone. Buddy is this inquisitive, wide-eyed young boy who loves his television shows and going to the theater to see the pictures. He prays to become a good footballer and to marry his classmate. There is a lot of witty dialogue and humor mixed into the story, whether it’s the hopelessly-sentimental Pop teaching Buddy how to game the system to get closer to the girl he has a crush on, or Moira and Buddy debating how to identify a Catholic by their name (these two together in any scene is comedy gold). From the moment we meet the people on this street, it is immediately obvious that this is a community where everyone knows and supports one another, often ribbing one another with jokes and humor. They come together for block parties and celebrations, and the riots have only furthered this resolve. This community instantly feels real and welcoming, and one you want to be a part of. At the same time, there’s no denying the financial burden and anxiety that this situation has brought on, and the idea of leaving this community for the unknown just makes the situation even more difficult.

Newcomer Jude Hill is a pure delight as Buddy. He has this constant innocence and joy that is so infectious. The banter between Buddy and the other characters yields many laugh-out-loud moments. The surrounding cast help to make this feel like a truly authentic and realistic family. Ma and Pa have this stressed out relationship due to the circumstances but you can tell that even though they argue, they still love one another. And Pop and Granny have been together for ages, but the joy and love they get from one another is still as fresh as the day they met.

Belfast is easily my favorite of this year’s Best Picture nominees. This is a very creatively shot film, with some unique camera work and angles that mix wide shots with handheld cameras with turntable shots to evoke the necessary tone and feeling in each scene. The film starts off in color, giving viewers a montage of the sites of modern Belfast—the blue skies, red brick buildings, castles and more. Then, the camera climbs over the wall to the neighborhood, entering the black & white world of the past. The only times we see color are in the films playing on the big screen whenever Buddy and his family go to the movies. I’m generally not a fan of modern movies being released in black & white (we have the technology, so why go backwards?!), but I think it works quite well here to evoke that nostalgic view of the past.

The Blu-ray release looks fantastic, yielding a clean, detailed picture that looks beautiful in both color and black & white. The film’s soundtrack is also excellent, constantly filling the room with the ambient sounds of the neighborhood, whether it’s people having off-screen conversations in various corners of the room, the ever-present helicopters looming overhead, the sounds of a storm brewing (both in nature or with the riots), trains whizzing by, and so on. The audio is especially effective as the chaos of the riots break out, with the noises of explosions, breaking glass, screaming and yelling, and all sorts of commotion surrounding the viewer, making them feel all the tension of the situation. Dialogue remains clear throughout (though some of the accents may be a bit more difficult to understand than others), and the film features an excellent array of Van Morrison songs that help maintain that fun, upbeat and nostalgic tone.

The Blu-ray disc comes packed in standard HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for an HD Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film as well as a code for the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The disc contains an audio commentary by the director as well as an alternate ending and 3 other deleted scenes, a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, and some fun childhood memories from the cast.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:37:41)

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/31/2023):

HD Movies Anywhere Digital Copy of the film
Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of 5-6 free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:

Play All, or select from:

Alternate Ending (5:36)
In this alternate ending, an adult Buddy (played by director Kenneth Branagh) arrives at the Belfast airport for the first time since his family left. A driver (Aoife Hinds) gives him a tour of the city, and then he revisits his old neighborhood, talking with an older Mrs. Ford (Brid Brennan). In an optional commentary, writer/director Kenneth Branagh talks about the decision to not include the sequence.
Deleted Scenes (2:44)
Collection of three deleted scenes that play back-to-back—Buddy is revolted at the thought of eating tripe, Buddy heads off to school on a windy day and has a conversation with Mrs. Ford that mirrors the one in the alternate ending, and Buddy visits his mother in the chip shop and gets a free meal. In an optional commentary, writer/director Kenneth Branagh reminisces about his own childhood with stories related to the events depicted in the scenes.
A City of Stories: The Making of Belfast (9:47)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the genesis of the movie, casting the film, how their characters felt familiar to the cast, recreating the neighborhood, the costumes, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Kenneth Branagh, production designer Jim Clay, costume designer Charlotte Walter, and stars Ciarán Hinds (“Pop”), Jamie Dornan (“Pa”), Caitríona Balfe (“Ma”), Judi Dench (“Granny”), Lara McDonnell (“Moira”), Lewis McAskie (“Will”) & Jude Hill (“Buddy”).
Everyone’s Inner Child (1.54)
Writer/director Kenneth Branagh and stars Ciarán Hinds, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan & Caitríona Balfe reminisce about their childhoods, answering questions about their least favorite childhood food, their favorite childhood toy, and the naughtiest thing they did as a child.
Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Kenneth Branagh (1:37:41)
Writer/director Kenneth Branagh provides a thoroughly entertaining and informative commentary, sharing many stories of his own childhood experience in Belfast and the events depicted in the film, talking about the technical side of how certain shots were filmed, the decision to use black & white, working with the actors, and more.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Belfast is easily my favorite of this year’s Academy Award Best Picture nominees. The film is fun, delightful and nostalgic, while also thought-provoking at times. You can definitely feel the love and personal connection that writer/director Kenneth Branagh put into the film. The cast is also great and feel like a natural family. Newcomer Jude Hill is a bright ball of sunshine, stealing every scene he’s in, and constantly making the audience laugh. The technical presentation of the Blu-ray is excellent, with a clean, detailed and beautiful picture, and an incredibly immersive audio track. The disc also includes a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material. This release comes highly recommended based on the quality for the film and performances. I really hope this film takes home the Oscar as it is one of the few nominees in recent years that I would actually watch over and over again.