Branagh keeps the action close to his young alter ego, so we witness events through the eyes of a child. This gives the film much of its humour, as when Buddy’s slightly older and wayward cousin tries to explain that the correct answer to a stranger asking your religion is to double bluff and claim Protestantism. “But we are Protestant!” he cries. She nods sagely: “Exactly.”Article content
Buddy’s parents, only ever known as Ma and Pa, are played by Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan. He also has one set of grandparents, Granny and Pop, delightfully embodied by Judi Dench and the scandalously younger Ciaran Hinds. Yorkshire-born Dench is one of the few players to hail from across the Irish Sea, but Branagh seems to have given her a film-length audition as an Irishwoman in last year’sPa works as a joiner, often in England for weeks at a time.
Ireland is proof that terrorism works. Especially if funded by the USA.