Tom's Film Club: The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006)

Ten years before he won his second Palme d'Or, Ken Loach won his first for directing The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a powerful and gripping war drama set in Ireland.

Ten years before Ken Loach won his second Palme d'Or at Cannes for the very excellent I, Daniel Blake (playing on Tuesday 15th), he won his first for directing The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a powerful and gripping war drama about the fight in Ireland for independence and the Irish Civil War which followed in the early 1920s. Set in County Cork, the film follows Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy, on exceptional form), a doctor about to take up a post in London, and his brother Teddy (Pádraic Delaney), a freedom fighter and member of Irish Republican Army. However, after seeing some British military atrocities, Damien is convinced to fight for freedom with his brother rather than go to England, but soon tension between these two brothers rise tenfold as their involvement in the war accelerates further.

As is usual with many of Loach's films, he and regular writer Paul Laverty are concerned with the plights of those fighting for what they feel is right in an unjust society, as well as showcasing the camaraderie and character of everyday people trying to make a positive difference, while at the same time not shying away from the guerrilla warfare and bloody conflicts that ensued during those turbulent times in Ireland. The film is beautifully shot by Barry Ackroyd in natural light, with the grand Irish countryside contrasting wildly with the narrative of a war-torn Emerald Isle, these green fields soon to become box office battlefields.

Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Film / Cinema.

Booking: https://go.evvnt.com/131042-1

Price: Standard - GBP 6.