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The Wind that Shakes the Barley

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

Director Ken Loach embraces again his life-long dedication to working-class films, this one set in the Ireland of 1920. It's simply about the passion for Irish independence that revolves around two brothers and local people in County Cork, where a quiet town has dramatically changed with the gang of Black and Tan (a British squad)that has descended on their local circle.

The towns people unite to form a rather volunteer force. One brother, Teddy (Padraic Delany), a leader of this ragtag militia, is initially eager to strike back at the ruthless Black and Tan occupiers. Then Damien(Cillian Murph), a pacifist who is uninvolved in politics, witnesses a barbaric retaliation by the Black and Tan when he is at the station on his way to a medical internship at the station. Similar incidents follow in rapid-fire fashion, and he is slowly lured into the conflict. As a result, Damien can't abandon his country of need. Driven by his deep sense of duty and love of country, he joins with his brother Teddy, They tramp around the countryside with rifle and jackets, a seemingly untrained local militia on the way to becoming freedom fighters whose  bold and audacious tactics bring the British to the breaking point.

After endless battles of execution and  torture, in 1922, the two countries reach an agreement, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which grants  Ireland only partial economic independence. Unfortunately, there are Irish Republicans who won't settle for anything less than total independence. A political pot begins to boil, when Damien is pitted against his brother Teddy, who relies on the idea that lives will be saved by certain compromise. They have to face their loyalties being put to the test, and ultimately brother fights brother.

Ken Loach doesn't glorify the war. He takes a slow and steady look at the soldiers, lending a documentary aspect to the film, and casting many local actors without so many rehearsals, so they give a naturalistic performance. Each of the scenes contains a complex situation that conveys  and captures the anger and tension, revealing a sympathetic portrait of the men pushed to the brink. No matter how many times you hear words like "in the name of a noble cause," it seems history is often introduced in a one-sided perspective where violence isn't always justified.

Directed by Ken Loach
Written by Paul Laverty
Director of photography:Barry Ackroyd
Edited by Jonathan Morris
Music by George Fenton
Production designer:Fergus Clegg
Produced by Rebecca O’Brien
Released by IFC First Take.
Running time: 127 minutes.
This film is not rated.

Cast: Cillian Murphy (Damien)
Padraic Delaney (Teddy)
Liam Cunningham (Dan)
Orla Fitzgerald (Sinead)
Mary Riordan (Peggy)
Mary Murphy (Bernadette)
Laurence Barry (Micheail)
Damien Kearney (Finbar)
Frank Bourke (Leo),
and Myles Horgan (Rory).