Review of The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) by Allen G — 05 Oct 2013

Terrifically acted, well-written and filled with genuine ambition- it's a strong film for sure. Loach is heavy-handed as always but it works well here with the film's emphasis on capturing the emotions of the time rather than solely the historical events.

It's a great looking film and it feels as if it really captures the various spirits in the air during the time- the hope and the despair and everything in between. It deserves its two-hour length and is engaging throughout and while it may be somewhat predictable, that doesn't make it at all disappointing.

The most interesting element for me was the emphasis on the ideological struggle involved in the conflict and there are some very nice scenes on this topic. The basic storyline did feel a bit simplistic as to me, there was some more interesting things going on elsewhere. Some elements also feel a bit rushed or just generally unnecessary- Damien's possible job as a doctor for instance seemed like a quick way to try and add some drama of which there was already more than enough of. There were just generally some elements that felt like the film was trying to mimic a major-production which didn't fit well with the more original and interesting stuff.

There is evidence to support the portrayal of the British here and everyone involved gets their hands muddied after a while so I don't feel like that was a downside however it would have been interesting to see what Loach had done if he'd concentrated more on the ideological struggle rather than the gruesome physical one. I feel like too many films around war have went down that root and this one had the chance to do something a little different. It's still a strong showing though and lives up to its promises.