Catching Up: ‘Belfast’ and ‘Spencer’

By Bob Bloom

“Belfast” (Rated: PG-13, language, violence) ★★½

The movie is a sentimental memory tome from Kenneth Branagh that is an awkward blend of sentiment and family set against the backdrop of sectarian unrest in 1969 Belfast.

Branagh’s protagonist is 9-year-old Buddy (a delightful and innocent Jude Hill), a curious boy with a loving extended family, whose world is disturbed by the violence that now surrounds his neighborhood.

The major flaw is that Branagh wants to blend an intimate family story with the larger and more complex strife unleashed in Belfast at the time. Unfortunately, he cannot really get the two to mesh.

What does work are the performances by Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe as Buddy’s parents and Judi Dench and the wonderful, but underappreciated Ciarán Hinds as Buddy’s grandparents, as well as the brilliant black-and-white cinematography.

Through Buddy’s eyes, we all see the magic and power of movies and how they allow people to escape from the daily turmoil around them.

“Belfast” is a nostalgic love letter Branagh has composed to his past. It’s just that he tries to cram too many colors on too-large a canvas.

“Spencer” (Rated: R, language) ★★½

Those who watch Netflix’s “The Crown” are very familiar with the fraught relationship between Princess Diana and the royal family.

“Spencer” is a grim fairy tale — that is more of a nightmare — that covers similar ground.

Kristen Stewart stars as Diana. Her portrayal is splendid.

However, director Pablo Larraín — whose film, “Jackie,” followed a similar tract with his tale about Jacqueline Kennedy after the assassination of her husband — has given us a Diana who is very needy, whiny, petulant and ceaselessly unhappy.

The movie focuses solely on Diana, with the royal family seemingly lurking about without any actual interaction with their young princess.

At times, the movie is maddening abstract and Gothic. You vacillate between feeling sorry for Di and being exasperated by her constant, woe-is-me attitude.

Stewart’s performance, which captures the princess’s stylish demeanor, doe-in-the-headlights and wounded eyes, make the movie worth viewing.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap substack and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.