Marxist history lesson

Rating: 6/10 (1 April 2007)

As a Brit, I'm not sure what to make of Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes the Barley. The film is set in Ireland in 1920 and the film starts by showing life in a peaceful and idyllic Irish village. British soldiers arrive and start taunting the villagers. They kill someone who objects to their presence and no explanation is given for the brutality. It is implied that Britain operates an evil and sadistic empire. However, the film omits to explain that the Irish War of Independence began in January 1919 and the Irish Republican Army had organized a guerrilla campaign. Atrocities were committed on both sides.
Damien (Cillian Murphy) is a young doctor who was about to leave for a career in London. After observing the cruelty of the British he joins the IRA and becomes a terrorist / freedom fighter. His brother, Teddy (Padraic Delaney) becomes a local IRA leader and they kill Brits together. In 1921, Michael Collins signs a truce with the British, which leads to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This established the Irish Free State and resulted in the partition of the country. It gave Ireland a status equivalent to that enjoyed by Canada and Australia.
British troops are shown leaving the village and the Irish Civil War starts soon after. The IRA objected to retaining constitutional links with the UK and opposed the six counties in the north remaining under British control. Damien and Teddy choose different sides. Damien's friends in the IRA insist that the "people" should own the means of production. Damien wants a Marxist state while Teddy is a pragmatist. History seems to side with Teddy. The Protestant majority in the north regarded themselves as British and were prepared to fight to remain part of the UK. Southern Ireland won complete independence in the 1930s.
The film doesn't have much of a plot, but there is plenty of violence, hysteria and politics. By focusing on life in the village you don't obtain a broader understanding of the struggle. The film provides a confused history of events and the production is annoying and dishonest. The filmmakers still seem to believe in Marxism.