Why Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast deserves to win the Best Picture Oscar

On March 27, the 2022 Oscars will be held. Ten new films are being considered for Best Picture. Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, Dog PowerAnd West Side Story. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. However, any one of them could win the big prize. In the leadup to the Oscars, we’re making a case for why each of them might deserve to take the big prize.

WHAT’S THE MOVIE?

Belfast“The Director: Kenneth Branagh”

WHAT’S THE STORY?

In 1969 Belfast, adorable Buddy (Jude Hill) navigates the life of a fairly typical 9-year-old boy: He has a crush on a classmate, he steals some candy, he receives worldly wisdom from his adorable grandparents (Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds), and he eavesdrops on his parents (Jamie Dornan and Caitríona Balfe) as they fight, adorably, about money. But escalating sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics is tearing the community apart, and threatening to cast a long shadow over the family’s future. The story is based on Branagh’s own childhood experiences.

WHAT’S THE CRED?

Belfast is pure Oscars catnip; no wonder it’s considered one of the frontrunners. It’s a personal, sentimental memory piece from a beloved showman, an actor-director in the tradition of the titans of the London stage. Branagh received eight Oscar nominations over the last 30 years in seven categories. It’s a coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of socio-political upheaval, blending undemanding drama with humanist, why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along hand-wringing. It’s a filmmaker’s origin story, featuring multiple scenes of a child’s face beaming rapturously up at a cinema screen. Judi Dench is also in it, with eight Oscar nominations and one win. It’s in black and white. The child is very adorable. This stuff is very popular with Academy voters.

WHY SHOULD IT WIN?

Don’t mistake any of this for cynicism: BelfastBranagh’s film is heartfelt and sincere. This film is clear on the heartbreaking dilemma. Should the family move away from the people and places that they cherish? Or stay in the country and be at risk of being consumed by the Troubles. It’s also an entertaining movie, and beautifully performed. While Hill may seem a little too enthusiastic as Buddy the young boy, Dench and Hinds are charming and dedicated performers. Balfe and Balfe add some unrealistic, yet not unwelcome, star-quality drama to the kitchen. Branagh, who is aware of the limits of human indulgence, wraps up his memory-lane trip in a tidy 98 minutes.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

There are many things to criticize. Belfast. It’s crashingly unsubtle, with overstated direction, broad characterization, and predictable, on-the-nose story beats. Branagh, never one to be overcome with humility, can’t resist some cringeworthy self-mythologizing. (There’s a shot of the young Buddy reading an issue of Thor, meant to evoke Branagh’s direction of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe Thor movie.) His family is not viewed in any other way than the saintly view he can muster. And though his depiction of the Troubles avoids the most obvious pitfalls by sticking largely to one side (Buddy’s perfectly tolerant family and the film’s most despicable sectarians are all Protestants), it’s devoid of nuance and of any attempt to wrestle with the social and political realities, or to depict the human cost. But Oscar voters are less likely to be deterred by any of this than they are by the rough reviews for Branagh’s The Nile: Death at the Crossroads.

One great thing that no one should miss

Photo by Focus Features

Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, FrozenBelfast’s native, he is known for his great humor and soulfulness. It’s wonderful to see BelfastHe deserves a platform. He plays Buddy’s grandfather with tender gravity, giving the town a human voice that could so easily have been drowned out by Branagh’s frenetic setpieces and rose-tinted nostalgia. He is well-deserved for his nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

WHERE CAN I WATCH IT

Belfast It is also available for rent through Amazon, Apple and Vudu. You can also view our streaming guide that lists all nominees for the 2022 Oscars.

Previously:

Why? Don’t Look Up deserves the Best Picture
Why? Dog Power Should be the Best Picture
Why? West Side StoryBest Picture deserves to be a Winner

Next stop:

Why? Nightmare Alleydeserves the Best Picture