Having missed THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY in the theaters, I recently caught it on DVD, finding it to be one of the best films of 2007. The Cannes Film Festival winner from director Ken Loach deals with the Irish Republican Army's rebellion against the British in the 1920s and the subsequent civil war. Wanting to encourage people to see the film, I felt it was a good idea to build this week's lineup around the film. So I picked four additional films that feature the IRA. Some deal with the freedom fighters/terrorist (depends on your point of view) more directly, however all five films are fascinating tales.
Because it is the most historical of the films, I've chosen THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY as the film to kick off This Weekend's Film Festival. Cillian Murphy stars as a young doctor who reluctantly joins the IRA, eventually becoming one of its strident leaders. The film is clearly from the Irish point of view, painting out the British as vicious oppressors. However, what's new is the depiction of the civil war between the supporters and opponents of the treaty with the British. Pitting Murphy's Damien against his own brother, the film illustrates powerfully the divisions that split the Irish, leading to the formation of the IRA that most people know today. Within the personal stories of the characters, this tale of war takes on Greek proportions. To paraphrase my original review, the filmmakers are smart enough to present the complex questions and allow the audience to form their own answers.
The Saturday lineup features two films that feature the IRA, transvestites and were directed by Neil Jordon. The first picture, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, also stars BARLEY star Murphy as Patrick “Kitten” Braden, who inadvertently gets wrapped up in IRA bombings. Starkly different than his performance in the opening night film, Murphy gives a wonderful performance as the hopelessly optimistic transvestite, who was the love child of a priest and his maid. Kitten gets involved with the IRA via his best friend Charlie (played by Ruth Negga), whose boyfriend Irwin desperately wants to be an IRA soldier. As much as Kitten wants to avoid the "all too serious" issues of the Republican Army, he never seems to be able to avoid the violence. He's trying to find love and family, discovering it where he should have known where to find it from the start. Learn how this film makes reference to the second Saturday film in my original review.
I'm sure my above clues have already revealed that the Saturday closing film is THE CRYING GAME. As I stated in my original review, "This nearly perfect production will challenge your thoughts as it entertains." The presentation of the IRA in this film isn't a focus of the main story. The violent actions of the group are used as a counterbalance to the main character Fergus's humane nature. In the film, the IRA kidnaps a British soldier named Jody, played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, who is watched over by Fergus, who is played with a heartfelt sadness by Stephen Rae. Jody, who believes he will be murdered, asks Fergus to visit his girl Dil (brilliantly played by Jaye Davidson) in London. The main twist is one that has earned a place in the pop culture lexicon. Director Neil Jordon's major accomplishment is that he makes us care so deeply about a strange love story between a former Irish terrorist and a black transvestite.
The Sunday films more directly deal with the IRA. The first film, BLOODY SUNDAY, from 2002 is a gripping documentary-style production from Paul Greengrass, the director of UNITED 93. As he did with his 9/11 film, Greengrass brings gritty realism to the look and feel of every aspect of the production. The story follows the infamous events of January 30, 1972 when a march in Derry, Northern Ireland ended in British soldiers killing 14 people and injuring 13 more. This film too takes an Irish point of view, focusing on civil rights leader Ivan Cooper, brilliantly played by James Nesbitt. Like a fly on the wall, we watch as the Irish protestors and the British solders prepare for the day's event. This powerful and provocative production brings so much raw emotion to the screen that one begins to understand why young Irish men joined the IRA to remove the British from their country by any means necessary. I encourage you to learn more about the film in my original review.
Along with BLOODY SUNDAY, the closing film, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, is one of the most emotionally riveting films dealing with the IRA. Based on a true story, the film follows the wrongful imprisonment of Gerry Conlon, who is brought to life by the always-powerful Daniel Day-Lewis. Conlon is accused of an IRA bombing, which leads to the imprisonment of him, three of his friends, his aunt, her children and his father, Giuseppe, played by Pete Postlethwaite at his career best. Jim Sheridan's film shows how fear and racism leads to injustice. Also coming from an Irish point of view, the film compellingly pits Gerry's more aggressive actions against the peaceful moves of his father. Unlike BARLEY, which has no positive British characters, FATHER features the Conlons' lawyer Gareth Peirce, played by Emma Thompson, who fights passionately for the wronged Irish men. Injustice leads to anger, which leads to violence. As I stated in my original review, "I hope to God that in a few years we are not going to see a film similar to this one, which takes place in the U.S."
There you go — this is a really powerful collection of films, which I feel is one of the better This Weekend Film Festival's lineups. After engaging in the fun, please come back to discuss what you learned or felt of these flicks. So it's time to head to the rental store, update the Netflix queue or checking the TV listings on Zap2It.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
