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Overview

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The Wind That Shakes the Barley, 2006

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham

Directed by: Ken Loach

Written by: Paul Laverty

Language: English, Irish Gaelic

Country: Ireland, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France

Runtime: 127 min

MPAA Rating:

Rating:7.6

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Profile of The Wind That Shakes the Barley

The mood of The Wind That Shakes the Barley is contemplative, stylized, and captivating. The plot centers around political unrest, rebellion, and injustice. It is a drama, period, and war movie. In approach, it is serious and realistic. The pacing is slow. The setting is Ireland. It happens in the 1910s and in the 1920s. The movie is known for being a Cannes festival winner and critically acclaimed. Note that it includes violent content.

Summary of The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Set in 1916 in Ireland, The Wind That Shakes the Barley is the story of Damien (Cillain Murphy), a young Irishman about to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. When his friend is brutally murdered for standing up to a band of British soldiers, Damien abandons his medical career and joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delany) in the fight for freedom. Small guerrilla groups of Irish farmers begin to wage bloody attacks, forcing the government to negotiate a ceasefire. The Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty is offered, but it puts Teddy and Damien at odds. Teddy believes they should accept the treaty and try to work within the system to avoid further bloodshed, while Damien thinks they should continue to fight until they are completely free of British rule. Whereas the two brothers used to fight side by side, they now find themselves divided, and forced to choose between their familial bond and their ardent beliefs.

Murphy and Delany both give standout performances as the battling brothers. Murphy flashes his otherworldly blue eyes and conveys his character's fierce intellect, as well as the deep sadness of his struggle. Delany, for his part, tries to come off as all brawn and bravery, but cannot conceal his sensitive heart--his face glows with rage one minute, then crumples into sorrow the next. Director Ken Loach, who won the Palme d'Or for the film, has created a deeply personal war story, with an attention to detail that is heartbreaking in its realism. The sight of the young men training for battle with hurley bats instead of rifles will make the viewer gasp at the disparity between the warring sides. While some might flinch at the graphic violence depicted, the film stands strong as a raw, human portrait of a deeply troubled moment in history.

Details

Language:	English, Irish Gaelic
Country:	Ireland, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France
Release date:	16 March 2007
Runtime:	127 min

Cast and Crew See all

Cillian Murphy

as Damien

Liam Cunningham

as Dan

Photos See all

Liam Cunningham in The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Cillian Murphy in The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney in The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Cillian Murphy, Aidan O'Hare and Padraic Delaney in The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney in The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Clips See all

The Wind That Shakes the Barley: Official Trailer

Critics Reviews See all

The New York Times

The history presented in The Wind That Shakes the Barley hardly feels like a closed book or a museum display. It is as alive and as troubling as anything on the evening news, though far more thoughtful and beautiful. Full Review

|
by: A.O. Scott

Los Angeles Times

The Wind That Shakes the Barley turns out to be a more complicated, more dramatically potent story than it appears at first. It's concerned at its core not with how bad the British were but with what the cost of dealing with them was for the Irish. Full Review

|
by: Kenneth Turan

Users Reviews See all

A compelling tragedy of the Irish Rebellion that refuses to simplify, romanticize or pander to the audience. The accents are thick; the political philosophy is challenging; the portrayal of the British is from an unrelentingly Irish perspective.... Read and rate it

06.October.2009
|
by: Clarence
Clarence rated this movie0/10

I don't know who's giving this thing five stars but they must be from Ireland. It's probably a great movie. There are probably great movies made in Japan as well. But since I don't don't understand Irish mumbling (worse than British mumbling) any... Read and rate it

21.March.2009
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by: honestappraisal
honestappraisal rated this movie2/10Bad

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