The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This review is a part of the Palme d’Or Project: a review of every single Palme d’Or winner at Cannes Film Festival. The Wind That Shakes the Barley won the fifty first Palme d’Or at the 2006 festival.
The film was selected by the following jury.
Jury President: Wong Kar-wai.
Jury: Helena Bonham Carter, Monica Bellucci, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrice Leconte, Lucrecia Martel, Tim Roth, Elia Suleiman, Zhang Ziyi.
Ken Loach has always made films for the people; I can look back at his magnificent film Kes from 1969 and see a timeless study of stunted growth in an abusive setting. I’m not as familiar with his films as I should be; granted, he is quite the prolific filmmaker and I would have many films to get to. However, of what I have seen, I have appreciated his warm takes on tribulations, particularly in these smaller, focused projects. What would the British legend look like tackling something of a larger scale? That’s where The Wind That Shakes the Barley comes in. What you get here is a film that still feels intimate and personal despite its considerable scope. It’s the kind of connection that really makes it feel like a unique war film. Not once does Loach’s signature sympathy dissipate, and yet the film never feels held back by its heart either. Considering the capturing of a guerrilla warfare within the Irish revolution strewn across both of the nation’s 1920s wars, this level of personal tangibility is warranted.
The film is led by Cillian Murphy, who was the film industry’s go-to for Irish protagonists in the 2000s (he would migrate to the small screen to star in Peaky Blinders during the 2010s, so that sentiment was never lost). He plays the fictional Damien O’Donovan: brother of Teddy O’Donovan (Pádraic Delaney). The two siblings respond to the Irish War of Independence by joining the Irish Republican Army. We see their stomping grounds (County Cork) get overtaken by British constables who play by their own rules, and the brothers reflect on the war not ending any time soon. The film starts off with this proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back, with the insinuation that they — and their fellow citizens — have seen many other abuses-of-power in their lives. We don’t need to get all of these extremities: the turning point is enough. Loach utilizes the remainder of The Wind That Shakes the Barley to dig deeply into the particulates of where the O’Donovan brothers go from here, with Ireland’s historical shifts as their backdrop.
Despite being a war film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley is also an analysis of the historical backdrop of Ireland.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley is thorough enough to be fascinating for history buffs (even with the fictional characters and narrative used within the environment of reality), and those looking for a multifaceted, literary film will find worth here as well. The film is gripping enough to keep those that aren’t obsessed with historical education interested as well. The most important element, though, is Loach’s prioritization of spirit, but the director also knows how to use genuine soul in his films (and not the kind of forceful drivel that you find in many “inspirational” blockbusters). Loach also knows the bitter end ahead, and so he allows his characters to be cherished by us before we get to the portions that will cause us to look away. The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a war film made by a director that is more interested in the rights of everyday people than anything else, and it shows. It’s hard not to feel connected to the story here and the many twists, turns, and dead ends, and Loach succeeds in getting us passionate about Ireland’s fight for independence.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.