Diane Dobish

I really wanted to love this movie [Belfast]. I well remember seeing scenes of the conflict during the 1960s and early 1970s on network news here in the States and felt how difficult life must have been in Northern Ireland. But, I felt the opening scene on the street was contrived and those first few minutes colored my feeling toward the characters as we become introduced to them. What should have seemed/felt natural, felt staged and unbelievable to me and I remained uninvolved and unattached to most of the characters. Perhaps with the exception of Ciarán Hinds and Jude Hill. When I think of a film that depicts the effects of war as seen through the eyes of a child/children, I think of the incredible "Hope and Glory." And, I was stunned to learn that the run time was a mere 1:38, I had no idea going in. It seemed more like 2:38 to me.