Ireland http://www.cinemaroll.com/tags/Ireland New posts about Ireland Film Review: In the Name of the Father http://www.cinemaroll.com/Drama/Film-Review-In-the-Name-of-the-Father.99152 “In the Name of the Father” deals with the delicate subject of IRA and the British justice system, but doesn't hold back on condemning either. It focuses on what was and still is forgotten in the middle of the chaos-the wellbeing of the ordinary man.

The heroic tale of a wrongful court verdict unfortunately cannot be viewed as an individual case-one of the films shortcomings. The film may be based on Gerry Conlon's autobiography, but most ordinary people caught in the middle of this political mess do not prevail as heroes, and neither should they wish for this. Certainly, the epic closing scenes added to the powerful effect the film had, but it is doubtful whether this kind of emotion would prevail in such a depressing situation. But I guess a touch of optimism in the middle of utter hopelessness doesn't hurt, does it?

Regrettably, the two main characters had to make up for the overall poor casting, evident during the opening and crowd scenes. Daniel Day-Lewis handled the role of a simple and straightforward man torn out of his everyday life well, and depicted the character's vicissitudes realistically, if unspectacularly.

The family problems aided the film to avoid creating even more controversy and to bring the topic closer to the ordinary viewer. We can commiserate with what we know, and more people are familiar with troubled family relations than Ireland's struggles for independence and against terrorism.

The film is an eye-opener for sure, a thought-provoking and compelling introduction to a centuries-old problem. What this film doesn't do is leave you indifferent. It creates discussion whether about the film itself and its approach to the topic, or, more likely, about the possibilities of solving the problem. Hopefully this discussion will lead to further actions, but by different means than used in the past and pictured in the film.

]]> Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:27:14 PST The Wind That Shakes the Barley http://www.cinemaroll.com/History/The-Wind-That-Shakes-the-Barley.30580 "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" won this years Palme d'Or at Cannes and it's easy to see why.

Ken Loach's latest offering centers around the goings on in Ireland's County Cork between 1920-1922. This was a turbulent time in Ireland's history that saw the Irish first fighting against the British and then against each other as the country erupted into civil war.

Many films of this genre concentrate purely on the struggle against the occupying force, however Ken Loach's film goes deeper and looks at what happens when the occupying force actually leaves a country and what fills the vacuum created by their departure.

"The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is definitely going to be one of this year's must-see films, and one I'd definitely pay to see again.

]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:40:20 PST