The Wind that Shakes the Barley

(Meh, the trailer is a bit too Hollywood. Yuck.)

Raw. Powerful. Enlightening. The Wind that Shakes the Barley is one of the best Palme d’Or winners that I have seen, and it is so deserving of the Palme d’Or for its thought-provocation. It is so well written, edited, and delivered. It is also one of more uncomfortable films I have seen given its graphic scenes and ending. In one of the earlier scenes, I was sweating; I thought I was going to faint.

The character, Damien, played by Cillian Murphy is well developed. His beliefs, actions, emotions, and devotion to the war make the film what it is. This character gives the film substance, power, and structure. And there's such a unjust irony that happens to the character.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley is truly a gripping film that shares with the audience a story not often told. While I was studying in London, I heard of the Irish Republican Army (which is the army that the main characters of the film are in). All I know is that there are very few trash cans on the streets of London because during the 70s and 80s the IRA placed bombs in trash cans. And of course after learning about this, my impression of the IRA is that they are, in a way, terrorists. But after watching this film, I learned that everything happens for a reason. Not that placing bombs in trash cans is right, but obviously the IRA is getting the English back for something that happened many many years ago. Thus, this film is very enlightening, and I even learned that Irish is a language.