Moviola > Films > The Wind that Shakes the Barley

The Wind That Shakes The Barley              (15)   127 mins

Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival for this account of Ireland's struggle for independence in the 1920s. Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney play Damian and Teddy, two brothers in rural Ireland in 1920. Damian intends to leave Ireland to take up his medical studies in London. Teddy is a committed member of an IRA unit which has been exploiting its superior knowledge of the terrain to harry British troops in a guerrilla war. But Damian abandons his plans when he witnesses the swaggering violence of some Black and Tan troops in his village, and joins the war of independence. He is euphoric when the IRA's campaign brings Winston Churchill to the negotiating table with Michael Collins, but enraged by what he sees as the resulting sell-out. When the Free State comes into being, Damian sees it as necessary to continue the struggle against his own comrades - with terrible results.

"A fine and powerful drama."  Peter Bradshaw

"Another impressive performance from Cillian Murphy."  BBC Movies

No official site, but look it up on www.imdb.com

Last modified: 20-Jun-2008

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