Belfast

 

For a film suffused with pain and trouble, Kenneth Branagh's loving tribute to his hometown -- Belfast, Northern Ireland -- brims with joy -- most of it reflected in and seen through the eyes of young Jude Hill, who plays Branagh's boyhood alter ego, Buddy, a child completely invested in life, in his family, the village that is raising him and a flaxen haired classmate for whom he endures the torture of maths. It's a beautifully constructed and emotionally impactful picture.