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
