Blitz film review: McQueen’s drama of resilience

Steve McQueen’s flash is a compelling drama that captures moments of diversity and resilience during the World War II bombings in London.

In September 1940as the bombs fall on Stepney Green, Rita (Saoirse Ronan, The outrun) has to make a difficult decision. With the encouragement of her father Gerald (Paul Weller), she decides to send her young son George (Newcomer Elliott Heffernan) away from the chaos to the countryside. But George resents being sent away, and the two part on acrimonious terms. Then George decides to make a daring escape from the train and begins a dangerous journey to be reunited with his family. Meanwhile, the worried Rita finds out about her son’s escape and goes looking for him.

There are similarities to Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sunwhich is also about a British boy trying to find his family in a war-torn place. Given the conflicts we are experiencing today, the story is even urgent. However, flash is a unique offering from McQueen, who described the film as “Seeing war through the eyes of a child.” George’s ground-level perspective takes center stage throughout, with DP Yorick Le Saux focusing on close-ups of his eyes and facial expressions.

These are the perspectives of The common people were in the middle of this bombardmentportrayed by an ensemble cast portraying a realistic and diverse group of Londoners. Harris Dickinson (Triangle of sadness) is an air raid warden and family friend. Hayley Squires (Beau is scared) and Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) are Rita’s friends at the munitions factory, where they contribute to the war effort. Benjamin Clementine (dune) is a Nigerian-born overseer named Ife. Kathy Burke (Nile through the mouth) and Stephen Graham (The Irishman) are a gang of thieves who rob bombed buildings and the dead.

Some of these performances are memorable despite their brevity. Clementine and WellerIn their roles, both are characterized by gentle, caring qualities (remarkable considering that both are primarily musicians and this is Weller’s acting debut). However, the focus of the film is the central couple Heffernan and Ronan. His George carries the film at points, managing to be precocious and determined, but still homesick and afraid. She adds courage to Rita, but also guilt for sending her son away. Both actors are fascinating.

There is a lived quality Production design by Adam Stockhausen (12 years slave), which provides intricately detailed locations and bombed-out debris. Also notable is the sound design, which envelops us in an amplified cacophony of chaos. Bombs whistle, explosions rattle, machines chug and sparks hiss. Supported by Hans Zimmer’s dramatic and contradictory score, the sound of flash creates a sense of tension amidst the destruction. But there are other places where the film is full of music, from big band standards to stirring songs sung in an animal shelter. It strengthens the spirit of going on, even when there are limits. A sequence of two long shots shows the vibrant Café de Paris before and after the bombing. The reality of this war is never too far away.

George and Rita’s encounters with this ensemble of contrasting characters can make the film feel episodic at times, its goal never really in doubt. As a result, flash Is one of Steve McQueen’s most conventional films to date – although it is by no means disinfected. There are some terrifying moments, from accidents to crowds of people trying to find shelter. George’s mixed heritage helps make the film convincingly unsettling (especially given its more standard elements), whether he’s facing racism from other boys or storefronts depicting slavery and racist caricatures. Signs of the ever-present empire, signs of hate and bigotry that are omnipresent at this point in history.

Additionally, Ife must deal with racism in a shelter while returning to a jazz club in a pre-war flashback (bringing a similar vibrancy to McQueen’s incredible “Small Axe” entry). Lovers skirt) sees Rita with George’s Grenadian father Marcus (CJ Beckford), but the two are torn apart.

McQueen’s controlled direction of his films is one of the reasons they are so masterful, and the filmmaker has a keen sense of the tension, structure and scope of her films flash. The aim is not to capture London during this time or to have a decisive influence on the “Blitz spirit”. It is a series of stories about the best and worst of ussame feelings of selfishness and selflessness as experienced by two people who want to reunite. And the emotion involved – which makes this film more accessible (and for some, cheesy) – is what makes the film work.

“You are the refuge I call home,” Rita sings at one point. flash is a slightly touching, superbly directed film about finding protection and personal unity in the face of difficulty.

flash The BFI London Film Festival opened on October 9, 2024 and will be shown again from October 10th to 18th. The film will be released in select US cinemas and UK cinemas November 1st and on Apple TV+ November 22nd. Read our list of 30 films to watch at the BFI London Film Festival 2024!