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      Belfast: Trailer 2 TRAILER 2:29 Belfast: Trailer 1 TRAILER 2:04 Belfast: Official Clip - A Lesson on Looting CLIP 2:27 Belfast: Official Clip - Stealing Sweets CLIP 1:43

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      Belfast

      2021, Drama, 1h 37m

      327 Reviews 1,000+ Verified Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      A deeply personal project for writer-director Kenneth Branagh, Belfast transcends its narrative deficits with powerful performances and directorial craft. Read critic reviews

      Audience Says

      Belfast is uplifting in spite of the story's tragic details -- although you might need to listen closely in order to understand some of the dialogue. Read audience reviews

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      Movie Info

      BELFAST is a movie straight from Branagh's own experience. A nine-year-old boy must chart a path towards adulthood through a world that has suddenly turned upside down. His stable and loving community and everything he thought he understood about life is changed forever but joy, laughter, music and the formative magic of the movies remain.

      Cast & Crew

      Caitriona Balfe

      Caitriona Balfe

      Ma

      Judi Dench

      Judi Dench

      Granny

      Jamie Dornan

      Jamie Dornan

      Pa

      Ciarán Hinds

      Ciarán Hinds

      Pop

      Jude Hill

      Jude Hill

      Buddy

      Colin Morgan

      Colin Morgan

      Billy Clanton

      Olive Tennant

      Olive Tennant

      Catherine

      Lara McDonnell

      Lara McDonnell

      Moira

      Lewis McAskie

      Lewis McAskie

      Will

      Kenneth Branagh

      Kenneth Branagh

      Director

      Kenneth Branagh

      Kenneth Branagh

      Screenwriter

      Kenneth Branagh

      Kenneth Branagh

      Producer

      Laura Berwick

      Laura Berwick

      Producer

      Becca Kovacik

      Becca Kovacik

      Producer

      Tamar Thomas

      Tamar Thomas

      Producer

      Haris Zambarloukos

      Haris Zambarloukos

      Cinematographer

      Úna Ní Dhonghaíle

      Úna Ní Dhonghaíle

      Film Editing

      Jim Clay

      Jim Clay

      Production Design

      Dominic Masters

      Dominic Masters

      Art Director

      Claire Nia Richards

      Claire Nia Richards

      Set Decoration

      Charlotte Walter

      Charlotte Walter

      Costume Design

      Lucy Bevan

      Lucy Bevan

      Casting

      Emily Brockmann

      Emily Brockmann

      Casting

      News & Interviews for Belfast

      Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2021

      Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2021

      Where to Watch the 2022 Oscar Nominees

      Where to Watch the 2022 Oscar Nominees

      Oscar Nominations 2022: Full List of Nominated Films, Actors, Directors, and Filmmakers

      Oscar Nominations 2022: Full List of Nominated Films, Actors, Directors, and Filmmakers

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      Critic Reviews for Belfast

      All Critics (327) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (282) | Rotten (45)
      Full Review… Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald Full Review… David Stratton The Australian Full Review… Simran Hans Observer (UK) Full Review… Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard Full Review… Deborah Ross The Spectator Full Review… Clarisse Loughrey Independent (UK) Full Review… Brian Susbielles InSession Film Full Review… Stephen A. Russell Sunday Arts Magazine Podcast (JOY 94.9) Full Review… Benjamín Harguindey EscribiendoCine Full Review… M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut Full Review… Zoë Rose Bryant Loud and Clear Reviews Full Review… Prahlad Srihari News9 Live (India)
      View All Critic Reviews (327)

      Audience Reviews for Belfast

      • Aug 10, 2022
        Simple, yet compelling, landing most of its punches indirectly on its steady path to a knockout.
        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 08, 2022
        Ken Branagh's unabashed Oscar grab proves that simply memorizing Shakespeare does not necessarily make one a good writer, but the guy does understand his intended audiences. And so this piece, a nostalgic nod to what? The old days? Mom? Family? The old neighborhood? "And even if times were hard, didn't we all have each other?" Seen through the eyes of a young boy this is moviemaking by an old hand at what pleases the hoi polloi. And while there is probably no Best Picture award for the work itself, I am certain that Dame Judi Dench will have to explain at the airport the extra weight in her suitcase when she flies home from Hollywood.
        kevin w Super Reviewer
      • Jan 08, 2022
        Far more predictable (it owes a lot to other and much better coming of age movies) and devoid of any real tension than I think a lot people are willing to admit but that's probably because it is admittedly charming and the performances are delightful.
        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 24, 2021
        Kenneth Branagh returns to his boyhood home with Belfast, a coming of age story set during the Troubles in 1969 where Protestant mobs were targeting Irish Catholics. The movie is partly autobiographical as we follow young Buddy (newcomer Jude Hill) and his parents (Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe) and grandparents (Cirian Hinds, Judi Dench) dealing with life as their neighborhood block more resembles a war zone. There are dangerous influences and dark intentions on the peripheral, but we're mostly at kid level, where his days are preoccupied with sitting closer to his crush in school and wanting to impress his older cousin and be accepted. The parental perspective is kept to offhand whsipers and weighty conversations about moving away or staying behind. The black and white photography is gorgeous and exquisitely composed, looking like old family photos come to rich life. The actors are charming and heartfelt, and when called upon deliver emotional fury. The problem with Belfast, and it feels means to even cite it as such, is that everything is just a little too nice, a little too clean, a little too safe. The childhood perspective doesn't quite jibe with the political instability at hand. It's not a Jojo Rabbit where that disconnect is the point for reflection. It's clearly Branagh's love letter to his family and native land. It feels like entire scenes have been plucked directly from Branagh's nostalgic memories. It also feels like the characters are more sweet-smiling composites than real people. It's all been romanticized with Branagh's personal nostalgia, reshaping the odd angles and dangling conflicts into something more sentimentally safe, easy, and digestible. Belfast is a perfectly enjoyable movie but it feels like a simple TV movie-of-the-week, crowd-pleasing version of a more complex story worthy of greater nuance and scrutiny. Nate's Grade: B
        nathan z Super Reviewer
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