I imagine Belfast might work better for folks who lived in Ireland and/or England and/or Northern Ireland during The Troubles than some random American who remembers the news in the 80s and 90s but didn’t really follow it. Or, you know, for Kenneth Branagh (director) directly. But it’s still a good movie, even for an ignorant passerby like me.

Belfast is a coming-of-age flick about a young boy who witnesses the start of the protestant/catholic Troubles while living on his little street in Belfast, Ireland. We see some of the violence but mainly we get drips of it on the news. His parents are more involved even if they want to stay out of it.

I enjoyed this film even though I was constantly thinking it was going to turn into a darker film any time anyone got on a bus. But this isn’t that kind of a movie. It’s more gentle and whimsical despite the dour subject matter. And that makes it a little shaggy, a little wandering about… which is apt for a movie about a young boy that’s half nostalgia, half memoire.

The movie is filmed in black & white to denote, presumably, the nostalgia. But it has a magical use of color as the kid watches classic Hollywood films and even stage plays. So if you have nostalgia for Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang or even High Noon, this flick might warm your movie lover heart. Also… great use of the High Noon soundtrack.

Good, thoughtful, enjoyable, wistful, fun, and a little tragic. I think this one is worth seeing, regardless of who you are, if you stayed, if you left, or if you were a few thousand miles away.

Score: 84