I Am Belfast

2016

1h 24m

Documentary

List

100%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

A poetic visual depiction and exploration of Belfast and its citizens, told by a former resident who still loves the city.

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Audience Member

Trite and sentimental. Without critical reflection. Disappointing -- I had high hopes for this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A sincere, heartfelt, moving, tragic yet also humerous love letter to a city with a complex history, told through visually striking images, painful poetry and a heavy dose of impressionism. While Cousins does focus on the troubled past of this city and goes into detail on just how ugly Belfast was at certain times, he keeps being optimistic about it's future and also shows us how beautiful it can be and just how much he loves this city. I was caught in between awe, laughter and tears. Anyone who is into portrails caught on film will love it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

maybe a bit too arty for me but still a good watch

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

A beautiful visual poem to a bruised but beguiling city.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

4/5. The most poetic view of the troubled city that you will probably ever see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

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Mark Cousins

Director

Simon Millar

Mourner

Richard Buick

Mourner

Mark Cousins

Screenwriter

John Archer

Producer

Chris Martin

Producer

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Jonathan Romney

Observer (UK)

Cousins offers perhaps his most eccentric docu-essay yet, an impressionistic portrait of his home town, with Helena Bereen playing a regal personification of the spirit of place.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 10, 2016

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Cousins doesn't ignore the bloodshed and sectarian violence (the pub bombings, the killings, the evictions) in the city's recent past but he also has a genius for finding the poetry and humour in everyday street scenes.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 8, 2016

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

The city would not be itself without its humorous fatalism. We're all going to die. All films on Belfast end with Van Morrison.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 8, 2016

Full Review

Seán Crosson

Film Ireland Magazine

At a time when filmmakers have been hesitant to engage with the difficult legacies of Belfast's past, Cousins provides a timely intervention while pointing to a future where all the city's inhabitants could take pride in the spaces... they inhabit.

Jan 3, 2017

Full Review

Kevin Harley

Total Film

Even when he lapses into whimsy, Cousins' approach summons a portrait of great colour, complexity and originality.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 2, 2017

Full Review

Edward Lawrenson

The Big Issue

This is an admiring portrait of the city but it's also tinged with sadness.

Apr 8, 2016

Full Review

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Synopsis

A poetic visual depiction and exploration of Belfast and its citizens, told by a former resident who still loves the city.

Director: Mark Cousins
Producer: Glenn Leyburn, Lisa Barros D'Sa
Screenwriter: Mark Cousins
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 24m

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