Belfast

Belfast is a 2021 coming-of-age film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film follows a young boy's childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969. Buddy, played by Jude Hill, lives with his family - mother "Ma" (Caitríona Balfe), elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie), and paternal grandparents "Granny" (Judi Dench) and "Pop" (Jamie Dornan) - in a working-class neighborhood where the conflict between Catholics and Protestants escalates. As the community sets up a barricade to prevent further violence, Buddy develops feelings for a fellow high-achieving classmate, Catherine, and struggles with the harsh rhetoric delivered by the minister at church, while also dealing with family tensions and personal choices that will ultimately lead them to leave Belfast in search of a safer life.