Tag: Foreign Film
The Wind That Shakes The Barley, movie from Ireland
by Oscar on May.24, 2009, under DVD Reviews
Foreign Films a Bore? Not This One!
A while ago, I can’t remember exactly when, I read a review of this film in the local fishwrap and made a mental note to go see it as soon as possible. Well, “as soon as possible” was not soon enough, for by the time I wanted to go,the film had just disappeared from the local megaplexes.
But unlike the days of about 10 to 15 years ago, all a film buff has to do is to remember the title of their missed opportunity and, lo and behold!, it then appears in a well stocked video rental business. But MY problem is just the remembering part of the equation. I’m not sure when “Wind” was released to DVD, but thanks to Netfix, finding missed opportunities is as simple as browsing the various categories.So thats how I rediscovered “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”.
A brief synopsis:
Set in 1916 in Ireland, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is the story of Damien (Cillain Murphy), a young Irishman about to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. When his friend is brutally murdered for standing up to a band of British soldiers, Damien abandons his medical career and joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delany) in the fight for freedom.
The picture tells the whole story, British soldiers indiscriminately rousting Irish peasants for no other reason than that they are gathered together to bid farewell to a good friend. But what the pic cannot display is the viciousness and the verbal violence that the soldiers pile on these young men. When the sergeant in charge demands names, one16 year old answers in Gaelic as a form of national pride. Infuriated, the soldiers beat him to death while the others are told to strip down to their underwear.
Does any of this sound familiar? Well it should, for these are the tactics used throughout history by oppressors seeking to denigrate a people in order to salve their own consciences so that the brutality can be rationalized away.
Of course, the end result is that the victims are then hardened in their own resolve to fight. And for the main character, Dr. Damien O’Donovan (Cillain Murphy), his plans to travel to the big city to practice medicine are forever changed, for he then becomes a member of a local group of Irish Republicans and begins taking life instead of preserving it.
Murphey as Damien O'Donovan
“Wind” is NOT a feel good movie, but neither is it a chore to watch. The actors, especially Cillain, are young and attractive and are totally believable in their portrayals. And it is heartbreaking to see their slide from simple men, who want nothing more than to be left alone to live their lives and dream their dreams, into hardened guerrilla fighters who take life, even some of their own when treachery is discovered.
“Wind” also gives the viewer a bit of a history lesson of the background for the modern conflict in Northern Ireland into the late 1990′s.
But the real conflict in the story comes when Damien and his brother Teddy are forced to make a crucial decision.
The Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty is offered, but it puts Teddy and Damien at odds. Teddy believes they should accept the treaty and try to work within the system to avoid further bloodshed, while Damien thinks they should continue to fight until they are completely free of British rule. Whereas the two brothers used to fight side by side, they now find themselves divided, and forced to choose between their familial bond and their ardent beliefs.
Damien and Teddy
At this point “Wind”‘s tragic theme is brought forward and the irony of the characters’ choices is displayed. Teddy, who was a fire breathing Republican now chooses peace, and Damien, who was the reluctant revolutionary, now take a more radical path. The story cannot end well, and it doesn’t, as the above picture shows. And since history has already been written in the blood of thousands of Irish and British over the past 100 years we know that the film has only one way to conclude…in sorrow.
Although the subject matter is grim, the cinematography and acting lift a sad tale into a visual treat.
The Irish countryside is as green as our imaginations have believed, and the Irish themselves are as passionate and vivid as the land itself, making “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” a film worthy of being seen. As entertainment I rate it a success, and as a reminder of what the human heart is capable of it is a dire reminder.
I rate this film
