Shadows on the Wall

Blitz

dir-scr Steve McQueen
prd Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Steve McQueen, Anita Overland, Adam Somner
with Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, CJ Beckford, Hayley Squires, Mica Ricketts, Alex Jennings
release UK/US 1.Nov.24
24/UK Apple 2h00

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Set over the course of 24 hours in London in September 1940, this film is assembled as a vivid recreation of British life during the Blitz as seen through the eyes of a mother and child. The dual perspective offers vivid insights, but undermines the narrative's emotional power. Filmmaker Steve McQueen's skilful recreation of historical scenarios is both artful and remarkably accurate, including several vitally important social observations.

As German bombs begin decimating London, the public demands that Tube stations open as shelters. Single mother Rita (Ronan) works in a munitions factory and decides to evacuate her mixed-race 9-year-old son George (Heffernan) out of the city for safety. But he doesn't want to go, jumps off the train and makes his way back into the city, where he encounters the helpful Ife (Clementine) and a pair of manipulative sibling crooks (Burke & Graham). Meanwhile, Rita gets help from her lovelorn neighbour Jack (Dickinson), her father Gerald (Weller) and focussed shelter manager Mickey (Gill).

Oddly, the scenes with Rita feel overly pointed, designed to add specific historical information, so they undermine the intensity of George's odyssey. This means that the film becomes more intriguing for its attention to detail than for its story or characters. Re-created real events are often astonishing, using terrific production design and effects on an impressively large scale, with a number of breathtaking set-pieces. And the script cleverly highlights London's racial diversity as well as the ugliness of endemic prejudice.

Even side characters are sharply played. As usual, Ronan is fully invested, making Rita a fascinating figure even if her various situations feel contrived. Her yearning to find George gives the film a heart, although her subplots are undercooked (most notably with Dickinson). Meanwhile, Heffernan is terrific, making us wish the film had only followed his adventure. He beautifully plays the way George discovers his own Black identity through his time with Ife, a sharply memorable figure vividly well-played by Clementine.

This is such a finely produced film that it's a shame the story never quite grabs hold. Issues begin to take over the moment they arrive. These are important themes, and they are presented in strong context to bring the real people and events to life. But they undermine the impact of the personal drama, which is further weakened by oddly truncated story threads. That said, there's enough here to make this film worth a look, simply because of the expert way it brings history to vivid life.

themes, language, violence 9.Oct.24

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