Fight for freedom topples family ties
Known best for his turn in
”
Red Eye,
”
a Wes Craven film, in which he played the villain, Cillian
Murphy takes on the role of an Irishman fighting for freedom in his
latest film
”
The Wind that Shakes the Barley.
”
Murphy plays Damien, a young man from Cork who has a promising
future as a doctor in London. But in the blink of an eye his future
changes when a neighbor boy is killed.
Fight for freedom topples family ties
Known best for his turn in “Red Eye,” a Wes Craven film, in which he played the villain, Cillian Murphy takes on the role of an Irishman fighting for freedom in his latest film “The Wind that Shakes the Barley.” Murphy plays Damien, a young man from Cork who has a promising future as a doctor in London. But in the blink of an eye his future changes when a neighbor boy is killed.
After a game of hurling, a Gaelic sport, the country men are round up and harassed by British soldiers for breaking the law – they gathered in a public space together. When one boy, the brother of Damien’s love interest, refused to say his name in English for the soldiers, he is tied up and killed in his family’s chicken coop.
After the funeral Teddy, played by Pádraic Delaney, pressures Damien to give up his career as a doctor and stay to fight for Irish freedom.
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley” takes its name from a song that is suited for much of Irish history.
The ballad, written by Robert Dwyer Joyce in the 1800s, tells the tale of a young rebel who prepares to leave his love behind to join the 1798 rebellion. It is a song that has been covered by more than 20 bands – Irish and other.
“‘Twas hard the woeful words to frame to break the ties that bound us.
But harder still to bear the shame of foreign chains around us
And so I said, ‘The mountain glen I’ll seek at morning early
And join the bold united men, while soft winds shake the barley'”
The words are sung by the murdered boy’s grandmother after his burial, and Damien decides to stay and fight with his brother, Teddy. The acting in the film is excellent, as the ragtag band of men and boys take on the British soldiers with little more than their wit as weapons in the beginning. The scenery is also amazing, and the hills of County Cork, where the film was shot, bear an uncanny resemblance to the hills around San Benito and Santa Clara Counties during springtime.
The film deserves the Best Film Award it received at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, but it won’t be for everyone.
The strong Irish accents can be hard to understand and the film has its share of disturbing moments, including one in which Teddy is tortured to give up the location of rebel safe houses.
Through the film, it is clear that the characters put their cause before anything else – including friendship or family ties.
The timing of the film catches the men at the end of the Irish revolution. After centuries of small rebellions, the country’s men and women have united in an undeniable force against the British crown.
The families celebrate victory when the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 is signed. But it becomes clear that many who have given up their careers or lost loved ones to the fight, feel it gives freedom in name only. The treaty, which was accepted in real life by many leaders of the revolution, called for the Irish citizens to swear allegiance to the crown, called them a dominion of the British Empire and left six counties in Northern Ireland completely under British rule.
In the end, the film seems to tread into new territory, as the rebels realign themselves for a new cause – those who accepted the treaty and those who did not. But director Ken Loach gives viewers just a taste of the civil war before cutting the film off. Focusing the trials and tribulations of Damien and Teddy in the context of one war would have left viewers feeling less lost.
Now playing in theaters.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Starring Cillian Murphy and Pádraic Delaney
Capsule reviews
Amazing Grace – An idealist makes his way into English parliament with hopes of ending the British transatlantic slave trade. Drama, PG.
Are we done yet? – Ice Cube and Nia Long star as newlyweds who are working on their dream home with a nutty contractor who strings them along. Comedy, PG.
Blades of Glory – Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star in this comedy about two rival Olympic ice skating champions who are banned from competing in singles events who decide to compete as partners. Comedy, PG-13.
Disturbia – A teen under house arrest becomes convinced his neighbor is a serial killer in this take off on Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window.” Starring Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. Thriller, PG-13.
Firehouse Dog – A canine star in Hollywood gets lost and ends up in a rundown firehouse where a boy, played by Josh Hutcherson who last starred in “Bridge to Terabithia,” takes him in. Comedy, PG.
Fracture – Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins star in this thriller about an assistant DA (Gosling) whose career depends on putting away a suspected murdered played by Hopkins. Thriller, R.
In the Land of Women – A California television writer, played by Adam Brody of “The O.C.” fame, escapes to his grandmother’s house after his glamorous girlfriend breaks his heart. He makes the acquaintance of the three women next door and has an impact on each of their lives. Comedy/Romance, PG-13.
Meet the Robinsons – The latest film from Pixar, this animated adventure is about Lewis, a young inventor, who creates a time machine to help him find his birth mother. Comedy, G.
Pathfinder – A viking boy is left behind after a conquest in the New World. Raised by the tribe, he becomes their savior in future fights against the Norsemen. Action, R.
Perfect Stranger – A journalist played by Halle Berry goes undercover to prove a businessman played by Bruce Willis killed her best friend. Thriller, R.
Reaping – A former Christian missionary believes the 10 biblical plagues may be back in a small town. Thriller, R.
Vacancy – When a young couple, played by Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, find themselves stranded at a motel they soon discovering hidden cameras and realize they will be the stars of a snuff film if they don’t escape. Horror/Thriller, R.
