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      The Wind That Shakes the Barley

      2006 2h 6m History Drama List
      90% 117 Reviews Tomatometer 87% 25,000+ Ratings Audience Score In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend's farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart. Read More Read Less
      The Wind That Shakes the Barley

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      Critics Consensus

      Bleak and uncompromising, but director Ken Loach brightens his film with gorgeous cinematography and tight pacing, and features a fine performance from Cillian Murphy.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Ruth H Hauntingly heartbreaking. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/10/24 Full Review Emma W Very good movie, a bit much at points. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Nathan H A fittingly bleak window onto a complex moment, with full-throated performances all around, but especially Orla Fitzgerald and Cillian Murphy whose characters can't quite believe the level of horror that eventually reaches them. As with the eponymous poem, it's very pretty and very grim: "With breaking heart whene'er I hear / The wind that shakes the barley." Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/24 Full Review Regina P I'm so sorry... it's a no from me. And I actually think the story itself should have kept me glued to the screen. The relationship between the brothers and the backdrop of Ireland's fight against England-- good raw material. I should have been wrapped up in this story from beginning to end. But the execution was so boring that I kept having to take breaks. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/24/23 Full Review The wind that shakes the barley was a Very in Tense, heart-wrenching and brave . This movie is very unique With lots of twisted turns that are unexpected. There was so many betrayal between their people. Sinead is a pretty cool woman Helping out her fellow men. I thought them getting revenge was pretty cool but I did not expect It to be. that drastic. It is very interesting how they fought for the freedom and rest in peace to everyone who has died in the movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Matthew B The Wind that Shakes the Barley was a surprise hit for director Ken Loach, a man who has always held a niche appeal among cinemagoers. It brought in $25.7 million dollars at the box office, and was the highest grossing Irish-made independent film at the time. Critical opinion was inevitably divided, but the film did win the prestigious Palme D'Or prize. Like Loach's earlier film, Land and Freedom, The Wind is an historical movie, and indeed the plot follows a similar template to the earlier Spanish Civil War movie. A country enters a period of political turmoil and warfare, opening up the possibility of setting up a new social order. However the radical elements are ultimately quelled by the compromisers in the movement, and the moment is lost. Admittedly The Wind is a more polished re-run of Land and Freedom, insofar as any Loach film can be called polished. It features a few better-known actors than usual, including Cillian Murphy and Roger Allam, and the budget looks bigger than that of the average Loach film. This time Ken Loach is looking at the Ireland's fight for freedom around 1920. The film covers the Irish War of Independence, and the ensuing Civil War as the victors fell out. For Loach, the conflict was as much of a social revolution as a nationalist one. The issue that concerns the characters in this film is not just getting the British out of Ireland, but also what kind of society they wish to build after the British have gone. Are they aiming for a radical change in the control of Ireland, or is the change merely a case of switching one set of rulers for another whilst keeping the existing structure in place? Will Irish society change forever, or will it remain the same as before, but under a different flag? As with Land and Freedom, Loach is not interested in portraying the politicians who made the decisions. We see no David Lloyd George, Michael Collins or Éamon de Valera here. We see only the foot soldiers of the Irish Republican Army who fought against the British troops. The action is set in Cork, and most of the actors came from this area as well, adding authenticity to the action. These are not heroes, but ordinary Irishmen fighting for their country in unglamorous conditions. We can see the mist surrounding them, and hear the splodge of the marshy grassland on which they walk. We watch them train to fight. When looking for pictures for a review of the film, I found that many of them showed people clutching guns. Ken Loach is aiming for realism of a sort. This is reflected in the familiar Loach style that we see in other movies by the same director. The dialogue is often muttered, overlapping, or shouted by the cast of largely unknown actors, from whom Loach teases surprisingly good performances, as he always does. Nonetheless their flaws are left in the film. Occasionally we hear the actors trip over their words while delivering dialogue. The camera work too is sometimes wobbly, sometimes grainy, and sometimes out of focus. In another director, these flaws would be marks of weakness, amateurism or carelessness. In a Ken Loach film, they are trademarks of his style of moviemaking. He does not wish the film to look too refined, as he does not wish high production values to distract us from the characters and the important themes that he is putting across. Instead he aims for a naturalistic or authentic look. From the start Loach makes no bones about showing us which side he supports. The very title of the film is derived from an Irish ballad that is often used as a motif in Republican songs and poetry. The IRA fighters are handsome and softly-spoken. The British soldiers are brutal, and speak in harsh, rasping tones. Ultimately The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a tragedy, and the tragic hero is an entire country that frees itself from the yoke of tyranny, only to lose its gains in compromise and bitter warfare. Ken Loach's interpretation of history will continue to be disputed, but he presents a powerful and moving argument in favour of his position. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Wind That Shakes the Barley on my blog page (with spoilers) if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/03/25/the-wind-that-shakes-the-barley-2006/ Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Cliff Doerksen Time Out Rated: 5/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Gripping, powerful, heart-breaking. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 4, 2007 Full Review Marta Barber Miami Herald The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a multi-layered story, and the more you see those different aspects, the more you'll enjoy the film. Rated: 3.5/4 May 11, 2007 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch In its willingness to grapple with the ugly nuances of revolution, The Wind That Shakes The Barley proves itself an intelligent and undeniably powerful film. Aug 18, 2023 Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter Murphy's agonized body language conveys the horrible, irreparable damage of war. May 26, 2020 Full Review Alberto Abuín Espinof The director has an excellent cast, having Cillian Murphy shining with his own light. [Full Review in Spanish] Feb 15, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend's farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart.
      Director
      Ken Loach
      Producer
      Ulrich Felsberg, Andrew Lowe, Nigel Thomas, Paul Trijbits
      Screenwriter
      Paul Laverty
      Production Co
      Cineart, Irish Film Board, UK Film Council, TV3 Ireland, Tornasol Films S.A.
      Genre
      History, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Rerelease Date (Theaters)
      Mar 16, 2007
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 10, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $1.8M
      Runtime
      2h 6m