Ken Loach’s period piece on the state of Ireland in the 1920’s won the Palme D’Or at Cannes this year.
It’s tough going, but an admirable work with insights into Ireland’s 800 year old fight for independence from Britain and the beginnings of the IRA, Sinn Fein and their offshoots.
Cillian Murphy leads the cast of Irish actors largely unknown in North America. He plays an Irish medical student who witnesses the atrocities perpetrated by the Black and Tans, the torture and killing of his countrymen, women and the callous destruction of property.
He vows to run the British out of the country and joins a handful of local young men, led by his brother, to fight. It’s a ragtag bunch without weapons, and driven by idealism.
The Black and Tans were British World War 1 veterans sent to Ireland to put down the independence movement. They were reputedly a brutal, excessively violent bunch, maybe psychologically damaged from the Great War, and they nursed a hatred for the Irish.
After much bloodshed, King George V called for a truce and a peace treaty was signed, but it didn’t stop partisan politics, escalating civil war that pitted brother against brother, villager against villager.
The film is straight ahead drama, uninterrupted by a single moment of humor or relief. Still, the focus is clear and the artistry and restraint in expressing it, considerable.
Loach and Murphy are expected to attend the film festival for its North American premiere on Thursday September 7 at the Ryerson Theatre.
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