Belfast (dir. Kenneth Branagh), 2021

At one point during Belfast, Caitriona Balfe's appropriately, vaguely named Ma states "all I've ever known is Belfast." I couldn't help but think "I wish she'd enlighten us." The titular city is a vague landscape void of culture and any defining characteristics. The fault is partially the poorly written script and partially the haphazard cinematography: harsh lighting choices and absurd angles which strip not only identity but even the ability to follow and overly simplified story. A simple story can be a feel-good feature with mere competency, but Belfast is incapable of even reaching that low threshold.

Set in 1969 during the Northern Irish troubles, Buddy and his family are Protestants in an religiously integrated neighborhood. Protestant extremists are on the prowl to force the Catholic families out. The stakes should be high for Buddy when is father refuses to join in and receives their ire, yet the danger feels as lacking and non-existent as the city itself. While some tender moments are delivered from grandparents Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench, the rest of the interactions feel so stale and lifeless. Pa wants to leave Northern Ireland for a better life, but Ma knows nothing else. They have bills. Their oldest son, well, who knows what his name is or what he thinks? Buddy loves films, but not even that passion feels real or thought out...just a mere plot device.

There is little to write about Belfast because so little actually happens in the film. To say the film is surface-level is too much, as that would suggest something is there at all. The film, rather, is empty and hollow, with even the technical aspects lacking. As previously mentioned, the cinematography might be the worst I've ever suffered and the infusion of color during at random moments made no sense than some lame attempt to mimic artistic vision, which the film overall sorely lacks.

Rating: 3/10