Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast: A Personal Childhood Memoir Set Against 1960s Turmoil

Kenneth Branagh’s film "Belfast," released in Italian cinemas by Universal Pictures, is a semi-autobiographical story set during the summer of 1969 in North Belfast. It follows nine-year-old Buddy, a working-class boy whose idyllic life is shattered by sudden social unrest. The film, shot in black and white during lockdown, uses a nostalgic, romantic visual style inspired by "Hollywood in black and white" and the photojournalism of Cartier-Bresson. Branagh describes it as his most personal work, taking fifty years to find the right tone. The cast includes Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, and newcomer Jude Hill. Produced by Branagh, Laura Berwick, Becca Kovacik, and Tamar Thomas, the film blends fantasy and reality, capturing a child’s loss of innocence amid the Troubles.