Review of The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) by Spangle — 30 Apr 2014

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a war film that is far more than your typical war film. It is dark, yes, but it is deeply emotional and entirely tragic, yet beautiful all the same. From the shots of the lovely Irish countryside to the interactions amongst the characters to the costumes, the film was very much a beautiful one.

However, it is the acting and characterization of the characters that really help to make this film a home run. In war films, there is typically a plethora of action with little-to-no character development.

However, here, we get both. We are not shielded to the carnage of war as there is plenty of "action", but we also get the emotional trauma that accompanies war in the characters' interactions with one another and their families.

Cillian Murphy and cast also kill their roles and really handle this one perfectly, as does the director, Ken Loach. Another strength for the film is the delicacy with which is handles the tension between the British and the Irish.

Yes, the British are depicted as evil and unjust, but we are not given a romanticized version of the IRA either. Instead, we see them doing exactly what the British do, but since we are seeing the war through their eyes, we are not angered by their actions.

But, by showing them doing exactly what the Brits do, especially at the end, the film allows us to realize that there is no true bad guy and both sides have rotten elements to them. Nobody is truly innocent on either side.

At the end of the day though, the violence and trauma depicted effect everybody involved in the war effort, whether directly or indirectly. A beautifully tragic film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a very good film.

It is not a great one, but it is hard to ask for much more from a film of this kind.