Day 31: The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

Day 31: The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006, Dir. Ken Loach)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a gripping political drama set against the backdrop of an occupied 1920’s Ireland.

This film is a truly fascinating one, and has a particularly hard hitting dramatic punch, something which many would expect from veteran director Ken Loach. Cillian Murphy plays an interesting and thought provoking lead here who not only gives an emotional depth to the film but also brings poignancy to the political tension.

Of course the true Irishness of this film must be questioned; basically how a film that feels particularly Irish in its subject matter might not be that Irish at all. Whilst this film might be director Ken Loach at his most visually stunning and gets some fantastically dramatic performances, we must remember he is not in fact Irish; and with the multi-national co-production that made this film wanted to portray this particular Irish story, much of the funding was from abroad. This raises some interesting questions in the films realistic portrayal and representation of events which must be considered. In many places the film seems to suffer from narrative redundancy, whilst this can be effective in giving more depth to the characters or showing of the idyllic landscape it ultimately drags the film down.

Overall this film is an effective one; it not only educates by giving an audience by way of an interesting insight into 1920’s Ireland but does so in a relentlessly brutal and engaging way.

6.5/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460989/

Extra: I was sitting on some really uncomfortable seats when I watched this…