The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Directed by Ken Loach
IFC First Take, 2007
By Doug Nayler
As many of you are quite aware, there is often a strange cultural disconnect between England and North America. Though we share a common language, a common history, and a common affection towards all things meat-and-potato, sometimes we diverge down our own little paths. Localized culture just doesn’t translate well that often. I’ve certainly never understood what the deal with Blur was. However, there are often staunchly, unapologetically British tomes that are universally insightful, but just suffer from a lack of exposure across the ocean. Such is the case with the films of Ken Loach. And also the Two Fat Ladies. But, for now, I’ll talk about Ken Loach.
Ken Loach has for decades been producing films about very modern, very British problems. Mostly about issues of the working class. Loach loves to embrace a sense of locale as much as he possibly can in his films, often casting actors that are exclusively from the region in which the film is set. Riff-Raff, his most famous film over here, details the plight of a group of construction workers being notably exploited by their employers. And despite the fact that the film is indeed in the Queen’s Own English, the dialects are so thick, that the film required subtitles for the North American market. And likewise Loach’s latest film The Wind That Shakes the Barley is thoroughly wrapped in it’s time and place: Cork, Ireland in the 1920s.
Now, I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but Ireland wasn’t really a happy place in the 20s. Or for a long time before or after that. In fact, the whole damn place was embroiled in constant civil war. And so we find Damien and Teddy (Cillian Murphy and Padriac Delaney) dead in the middle of it. As they play their part fighting off the British, they slowly learn what it really takes to be at war. When a treaty is signed with Parliament, many of the Irish are glad to have fought for some peace and political recognition. But many feel that it’s a poor compromise that negates all the sacrifices made. Damien and Teddy end up on opposite sides of this rift, and soon have to decide how far they’re willing to go for the cause.
It must be fairly obvious that this film is trudging into historical epic territory. Characters caught up in a classic struggle bigger than themselves, stunning landscapes and period garb. But Loach smartly steers clear of Braveheart territory by keeping his story on a small scale. Instead of a big, inspiring tale of a larger-than-life figure that inspires his people to victory, Barley’s characters are just average people that can’t take it anymore. Unlike Mel Gibson or Kirk Douglas, nobody here is certain that they’re really going to triumph in the end. They don’t even know if the killing is worth it. So when the rift occurs, one can see both sides. Those who can’t stand the violence anymore, and those who want to be sure that it meant something.
