Today I wanted to write an original article so I thought I should talk about a movie by Ken Loach. Oops.
It takes place in 1920, in Ireland. Peasants unite to form an army against the "Blacks and Tans", which are English troops sent to subdue the movements of independence of the Irish people. Damien, a young doctor, abandons his career to fight with his brother for freedom.
Finally, a treaty between the insurgents and the British is signed. What seems to be a victory divides Ireland even more: it is the beginning of a civil war.
Here is the trailer:
This movie won “unanimously”
the Palme d’Or in 2006.
Ken Loach said that: “The film is about, we hope, a little
step, a very little step in the British confronting their imperialist history
and maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we will tell the truth
about the present.”
I thought that this
movie was truly incredible. It shows the brutality of English troops and a
strong racism. This movie is sometimes hard to watch because of its violence
(torture, executions…). I think that it shows the complexity of the fight well.
It is not a caricature and we can see many dilemmas faced by the characters.
Are they heroes or murderers? We can see
their sacrifices and how they want to establish a new society. How can they
make the English go? What kind of society do they want?
It portrays the
deterioration of the situation which leads to a civil war, symbolized by Damien
and his brother. The Treaty which was supposed to be a sign of union actually
divides the country even more. In the movie, Damien says that “the Treaty does
not express the will of the people, but the fear of the people”
It depicts how a
colonial power, while getting rid of its empire, still maintains its strategic
interests.
The shooting lasted 7
weeks and as Ken Loach often does, it was shot in a chronological order. The actors
were learning the plot as they were shooting so until the end, they did not know
the fate of their characters.
It was extremely
touching and moving. While I was watching it, I really thought about “Translations”
;)
P.S: The landscapes
are also very beautiful :D
Hope you liked it and
if you watch the movie, hope you’ll like it :)
Byyye
Salomé
Hey, nice article ! I want to see this Ken Loach movie since I have watched Jimmy's Hall which is also very good! So thank you to remind me to watch it I forgot all the time ;)
ReplyDeleteBye bye
I haven't seen this one!!! You reminded me that I have to watch it soon haha
DeleteBye ;)
Hi, Salomé, thank you for your article. I really liked the film; I thought the acting was brilliant and the story so poignant. It helped me understand Ireland's situation at the time more easily and realise how brutal it was for people back then.
ReplyDeleteI also encourage everyone to watch it, I think it's worth it.
:)
I'm glad you liked it!
ReplyDelete;)
It sounds interesting I might watch it. I like movies of that sort. I feel like it shows well what really happened. It's like all the movies on the wars and I just find them fascinating but they also horrify me at the same time by the thought that it actually happened.
ReplyDeleteOhhh yet another movie that I have to mark in my never-ending-must-watch movie liiiist, uuugh!!! Seriously, this movie looks GREAT, and, omg, I looove Cillian Murphy, he's just marvellous in Peaky Blinders. Did you watch it? It's a must. I watched way more series than movies ahahahah, kind of a shame [I think ?]
ReplyDeleteI haven't watch it (yet)! I have to... :D
DeleteNooo it's never a shame haha
Great article! I'm a huge fan of Ken Loach's films... Thank you ;)
ReplyDeleteSo many movies to seeeeee! I really have to see this one !
ReplyDelete