Review of The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) by Rory P — 24 Sep 2010

Sorry the start of this is badly written. I couldn't think of a better way of putting it--.

Arguably it won the Palme d'Or for what the French saw as 'pertinent historical significance', but for a person who knew the history going in, and was basically judging it by whether it was a good/bad piece of film making, I'd say it definitely didn't deserve the Palme d'Or.

Its not a bad film. Cillian Murphy is a good actor and the cinematography is great in ways I wasn't expecting (it really brings out the stillness/beauty of Irelands natural landscape, without being overt/pretentious about it.) But at the same time its less of a film and more of a politically motivated history lesson. It occasionally does grip and provoke thought but it is also incredibly flat in characterisation - When you compare it to something as affecting as Loach's 'Sweet Sixteen', it clearly lacks a very important humanist resonance that was integral in making his previous work soar.

So, in my opinion the film is certainly not terrible, its a history lesson thats told with fluency, but because of its emphasis on the politics rather then the characterisation the film is lacking in genuine heart. Loach has done better.