The Wind That Shakes The Barley [DVD]

Some reviewers seem to have missed the point. Ken Loach doesn't make Hollywood-style "history for popcorn-munchers" entertainment. He assumes a basic knowledge of the period in question, and then explores specific political questions. If anyone saw "Land and Freedom" before "Barley", they would not be at all suprised that Loach chose to focus on the tensions/contradictions between the fight for self-determination on the one hand, and the kind of state those fighters were aiming for. This scenario is expressed by the relationship between Damian (an advocate of Joseph Connolly's Marxist vision of a workers' republic) and his brother, who (for lack of a broader political vision) sees himself as more of a realist, dealing with the "here and now". It is no accident that the relationships between Damian/Roy and Damian/Sinead are given such prominence. Some reviewers have criticised the acting: Loach famously encourages improvisation, and often uses "imperfect" takes in his final cut, precisely in order to convey the message that history is not all heroic poses and sweeping soundtracks. The same goes for the action scenes: anyone with experience of armed conflict knows that military engagements can very often be confused, random and inconsequential (i.e. not always like Peter O'Toole charging forward on his camel). All in all, I found the film to be intelligent, insightful, very moving, and therefore an excellent piece of cinema.

This movie's central story is of two brothers on diverging political paths. Ken Loach presents us with a snap shot of the early days of the Irish freedom struggle in 1920 which casts forward the suggestion that any compromise with Britain is a betrayal.

As the British mercineries `Black and Tans' torture and murder their way through the Irish countryside two brothers (Cillian Murphy P.Delaney) are forced to join the IRA reluctantly.

As the story goes on Loach expertly shows us both sides of the conflict. He suggests that the British army were murderous in Ireland due to the 4 years of hell they suffered during WW1.
He also shows us the motives of the Irish IRA volunteers: "I studied Medicine for 5 years," says Cillian Murphy who puts aside dreams of becoming a doctor to fight for the cause. "Then I shoot a man; I hope that what we're fighting for is worth it."

This is Loach back to his Land and Freedom best; he is not the anti-Brit that some critics maintained. He is just playing his own brand of the patriot game.Highly recommended.

Winner of the Palme D'or in 2006 at Cannes, "Barley" is Ken Loach's biggest box office success so far. As far as I know, this is the first Irish film winning the award. When it comes to filmmaking, Loach has a keen sense of realism, naturalism and social awareness. All these elements mix with his strong instinct for time and place, and the result: subtle and intense pictures letting the volatility, misery and pain arise naturally from the harrowing and overwhelming situations.

"Barley" is a beautiful film, an epitome of sharp & powerful docu-drama providing valuable background information especially for those who do not any snippet of idea about the happenings in early 1920s Ireland - Irish people's struggle for independence and origins of the IRA.

Some viewers claim that Loach, due to his radical political stance, distorts historical facts and shows British "Black and Tans" as a stereotypical, bloodthirsty thugs. I don't want to participate in the polemics of whether the film portrays the incidents truly or not - atrocities committed by British forces against civilians, fellow revolutionary's division into factions before Anglo-Irish Treaty and their ideological disputes giving rise to bloody Irish Civil War. This is historian's job.

The truth is that Loach's melodramatic attempt of using two Irish brothers who are at odds with one another to stir up drama proves to be a good formula here. This greatly adds to the watchability of movie. It shows the dark side of war, people's ordeal and how clash of political principles as well as rupture of human values and bonds pit brother against brother.

Lastly, visually the movie is a feast to eyes - from idyllic backdrops of Irish countryside to gloomy dankness of a prison cell, every scene is shot beautifully. For those who like docu-dramas and Ken Loach type of social realism, "Barley" is a must-see.