esrosedotblog

One of the perennially fucked up places in the world is Northern Ireland.

But it makes for a good place for movies about conflicted loyalties and rebellion and the role of authority in maintaining an untenable situation.

It is a religious war. Waged between Catholic and Protestant. The worst kind. And it is a civil war with many facets. All the way back to "the troubles". Which never went away.

Today's film is thrilling and scary and very well made,

'71 (2015)

That would be Belfast in 1971. Bad. Terrible. Shite.

This is van edge of the seat movie which drops the political and aims for the sole experience of a soldier lost behind enemy lines. Well, if it was a traditional war it would be that. But here it is behind an artificial barrier between two territories where some people on each side belong on the other side and everything is chaotic every day.

There is a young man, not a main character, who stands in for the confused and conflicted people who cannot find a foothold in any day's events.

Which side are you on?

It is all tragic. This is the life of some of these people, year after year, decade after decade.

The lost soldier is eventually found, not a spoiler as I am not telling you how he is found and what he has found for himself.

I would not mind seeing this again. It is a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films