As the countdown continues to the 2022 Academy Awards on March 27, Our Today now focuses on the Best Picture nominee, Belfast.

Directed by British actor Kenneth Branagh, Belfast is a semi-autobiographical film which depicts the life of a nine-year-old boy, Buddy, and his working-class family. Through the boy’s eyes, the story is told of a tumultuous time in the 1960s.

If you have not yet watched this Best Picture nominee, a spoiler alert is in effect!

What is the film based on?

The historic comedy-drama is based on the life of its director, Branagh. Born in Belfast, he lived his life as a carefree and frivolous boy, as one child should. Branagh explained that everything changed on one unfortunate day. On August 15, 1969, when Branagh thought he heard bumblebees approaching, it was in fact an angry mob rioting in the streets.

“They picked up the paving stones. Those paving stones a few hours later became barricades, and the world was literally turned upside down… . Certainly my life was never the same again,” the director said.

The Riots

Four minutes into the film, audiences are met with a tension-filled street, where a group of men show up rioting, forcing residents to retreat to safety in their homes.

But where did this discord stem from?

These militant protests were a long time coming, as tension was brewing between Protestant loyalists and Catholic nationals. Dubbed ‘The Troubles’, or ‘The Northen Indian Conflict’, tensions between the two date back to centuries of warfare.

Protestant loyalists wanted Northern Ireland to remain under the United Kingdom, while Catholics wanted Ireland to become a republic. Tensions then turned into unimaginable violence. The Troubles resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,600 persons and injured more than 30,000.

The conflict went on for three decades.

Black and White/Splash of Colour

The film begins in colour before transitioning to black and white for the majority of the time. The shots in colour and black and white were used to make a distinction between the past and present, and in some instances reality and imagination.

The film begins in present day showing the city, streets, neighbourhoods, ocean and general beauty of the location, then shifts to 1969, where audiences see a black and white screen.

Employing pops of colour, the film, as at its start, features a shot of colour close to its end, signifying what the city looks like after decades of conflict.

When asked the meaning behind his use of black and white, Branagh explains that, in his mind, his memories of that time were in black and white. However his imagination, symbolised by movies, was in colour.

Celebration after the funeral

After Pop dies and is buried, the family hosts a raucous party, certainly not the norm after a loved one has passed on. However, Branagh has said the release is necessary.

In the film, audiences see Pa serenading Ma with a rendition of Love Affair’s Everlasting Love. The director has explained that, in his case, after his grandfather died, his father for five nights laid on the sofa next to his open casket, attracting persons each day with alcohol and humour.

“…After grief, there’s a necessity to shake it off, to reassert life through music, dancing, physical movement. As much joy as you can dig into. Lunacy, yes. Absurdity. Pretend to be the movie-star couple in the middle of the room,” the director said.