Keswick Film Club - Blitz

Synopsis

Steve McQueen puts his genius to work on this drama about the bombing of London in the war, whilst Saoirse Ronan acts her heart out as a mother whose son goes missing.

Rita lives in a working-class neighbourhood trying to survive the threat of bombs whilst working in a factory and volunteering at a shelter. Afraid for her son George's life she, like many others sends him to the country. George, however, wants to stay in London and jumps the train. 'Blitz' follows George's story trying to get home and Rita's attempts to find him.

As you might expect of a McQueen film, "'Blitz' explores more than the emotional and physical tensions of the era. It also uncovers the racial prejudices in Britain at the time", Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com. George is biracial and it is only his experiences on this journey that make him embrace his black identity.

"…it's when 'Blitz'… shows the darker side of the Blitz that it really hits hard. Its curiosity is its strongest suit, as McQueen's script lays bare divisions that see working-class families barred from taking shelter in Tube stations, socialism taking root underground, and racism rife.

McQueen isn't questioning the courage or endurance of the city and its people through these brutal days. But he is probing our relationship with this over-lionised period of our history, though, and finding it hopelessly romanticised" – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out.