Blitz

By Joanna Langfield

What may be most surprising about this rather conventional war-at-home movie is that it was made by the previously far bolder Steve McQueen. But, fear not. And pay attention. The director’s passion is very much alive here. And, as an artist, why shouldn’t he be able to express that in a more traditional way?

Ostensibly, this is the story of young George, a 9 year old boy whose mother sends him to what she believes is the relative safety of the English countryside during the bombings in World War II London. We have seen films like this before and, done well, they are wrenching. So is this one. But it is also, albeit more subtly, very much a social commentary on those times. Times when, even though one might think the English were banding together, some were very much, not.

George, wonderfully played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan, is of mixed race. His father, we find out, has been deported back to the Islands. And so George lives with his now single mom (the always terrific Saoirse Ronan) and his equally devoted grandfather (a lovely Paul Weller). On his own, George is faced with the realities of the world that has surrounded them: the fear, the anger, prejudice and kindness of those who came before us. McQueen, who, of course, has worked with these themes before, handles them with a sure, if more delicate hand this time. One scene that has stuck with me takes place in a shelter, when a white man is furious he is meant to sleep amongst others who don’t look like him. The Hindu and Jewish fellow refugees don’t speak a line of dialogue. But the point is undeniably made.

Blitz may be McQueen’s most accessible film yet. It is a beautifully crafted war film that gives us all even more to feel and think about.