‘Belfast’ Writer-Director Kenneth Branagh On Revisiting Childhood Trauma And How “Humor Becomes Not Just Valuable, But A Necessity”
deadline.comIn his deeply personal story Belfast, writer-director Kenneth Branagh a child’s view of conflict. When he was nine years old, the Troubles in Northern Ireland began and Branagh had to leave his hometown.Belfast follows Buddy, a fictionalized version of Branagh’s childhood self, played by Jude Hill, as he deals with the loss of the peaceful city he has known.
While the subject matter is dark, Branagh chose to focus on how a boy and his family cope with the traumatic experience in true Irish fashion, with humor, dancing and music.
Hill stars alongside Judi Dench, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds.DEADLINE: This was something of a departure for you, so what made you want to tell this story now?KENNETH BRANAGH: Well, it was definitely enhanced by the idea of the lockdown.
There was much more introspection, I think, at the beginning of this period. But the desire to write something about Belfast had been with me really ever since I left the place, I suppose, because it made for such a revolution in my life, that somehow processing it, to use a cliché, was something that was very important to me.
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