Michael W J Wilgar (THOUGHTS FROM MARS)

Belfast! THE PEOPLE - THE FILM I've been lucky enough during my life to have spent quite a few years carrying out building works on many houses all around Belfast for many different types of people. Another job I did part-time around Belfast in the late nineties was drive a taxi, it's amazing how many different personalities climb in and out of a taxi driver's car in one day. Although I moved out of Belfast when I was thirty-four, it will always be my hometown and a place I hold dear. Most people are good decent folk, but there has always been thuggery trying to mask itself as a worthy cause. With rollers in her hair and umbrella in hand, my granny chased a boyo or two out of her street, and my dad had to go and retrieve his van from a blockade before thugs set it on fire. My father visited a school friend of his in the mid-seventies. George lived in Canada. We'd started to make plans to emigrate to Canada, but in the end, my mother couldn't bring herself to leave Granny behind, so we stayed, and I'm very glad we did. The film Belfast reflects all I've mentioned above, in this story of a family living in a certain part of the city. It is a story of troubled times, love of family, romance and tough decision making. The finer details aren't important, the essence of the film is stunning! Young Jude played a blinding part as, buddy. Playing Pop (Grandad), Cairn Hinds is an absolute master at work! There's a different world around the corner. We all have our own experiences, our own stories to tell. But, we should never let the world harden us against love, romance and doing what's right! That's what I think anyway.....peace and love, baby! ONE LIFE!