the answers are blowing in the wind

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2007)

"The wind that shakes the barley" is a good and necessary film. Those that have a faint knowledge of the Irish War of Independence" (followed soon after by a civil war) and the actions of the Black & Tans in Ireland, should see this film. Yes, I think that Ken Loach's films are necessary, especially today when the media bombard us daily with their conservative messages.
My personal problem with "The wind that shakes the barley" is that it delivers a ready-made message. Ken Loach doesn't hide his sympathy for the radical wing of the IRA (to which the film's more engaging characters belong). Mind you, I'm not against them, but was there any chance of success in a total war against Britain, when the radicals had so few weapons and resources? Remember Spain in the 30s! Anyway that's beside the point.
Now, take for instance "La Battaglia di Algeri" by Pontecorvo. This film succeeds in portraying the Algerian War of Independence in such a way that many questions still remain open after the end of the film. It's a film that makes us think. The answers are not so easy. "La Battaglia di Algeri" was filmed just some years after the Algerian War of Independence, used nonprofessional actors and was filmed in the streets - it has a feeling of urgency and it hasn't lost its strength.
On the other hand, "The wind that shakes the barley" was filmed in studio with professional actors and somehow looks like a period piece (a left wing one). It arouses the emotions of the viewer in the same way "Dr. Jivago" does.
I repeat again that I think that "The wind that shakes the barley" is an important and necessary film - it moved me too. My knowledge of the Irish War of Independence and the civil war that followed was enlarged. "The wind that shakes the barley" is a beautiful and heart-warming film.
The main drawback of the film is that it removes the need to think about what happened, the film does the thinking for us.