rating:
(out of
4 stars)Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France; 2006
Directed by Ken Loach; produced by Rebecca O'Brien; written by Paul Laverty
Starring Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald, Mary Riordan, Mary Murphy
Below you will find a temporary review for this film.
I did not like 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley'. It intentions were good;
showing a story of winning your freedom in the first half, and then about
different kind of views on freedom, tearing a nation apart, in the second.
It sympathizes with the Irish in their struggle against the British, but it
turns every character, every relationship and every situation into a cliché.
The heroes are heroic and believe in their cause, even though they do not
always agree. The villains shout a lot, seem stupid and without a clue. This
seems strange since the British have, when it comes to war, a reputation of
understanding things pretty well.
I am not saying I did not believe they were cruel and handled things the
wrong way, but a view this single - and therefore simpleminded is not the
way to show a heroic tale. The hero you have to sympathize with the most is
Damien (Cillian Murphy), following him with his brother Teddy in their armed
struggle against the British, shown as true devils, every single one of
them. There is one good English soldier, but then he turns out to be half
Irish. I laughed a little. Somewhere in the movie a treaty is signed (and
Michael Collins is named). Teddy thinks it is a start and will do for now,
Damien feels he is still being suppressed by Britain. They represent the
Irish nation and how it is torn apart.
Director Ken Loach pushes his message into your face even more than Michael
Moore did with 'Fahrenheit 9/11', and admittedly, I did like that one. The
result is an unconvincing film, poorly written, often laughable. I never
believed a single moment, although I think many events may have occurred in
a way similar as shown here. The acting, which seems too much directed with
endless speeches given as if they were written down for them, does not help
either. It makes a political statement, one that could be argued for in
present time as well, but complaining this simplistic, without giving any
resolutions, makes sure it is a very weak political statement.