During the earlier years of World War II, the locals could only hope for the best while hiding in underground bunkers and having their chances of survival determined by Hitler’s bombings in Britain. Director Steve McQueen’s latest film ‘Blitz’ is centered on the events that occurred during this war. ‘Blitz’ begins with a firefighter searching to put out a fire amidst Hitler’s brutal attack, which has completely obliterated the city. The viewer is then guided to a series of imagery which includes; static, close close-ups of speeding water and ends with black and white daffodils all of which are accompanied by a piano melody. McQueen’s experimental approach is a breath of fresh air to the otherwise grim reality of warfare.
Rita (Saoirse Ronan), her father Gerald who plays the piano and is also a famous musician with Paul Weller, and her son George, who is a 9-year-old prodigy, live in a German bomb target working-class area. To keep her son safe, Rita sends George to the countryside, but that plan is bashed when George jumps off the train to escape bullies and begins a horrifying trek back home.
At the same time, Rita struggles to cope with the pressure of working in a factory while trying to volunteer at a refugee center and remembering the good old days spent with George’s father before her son went missing leaving all her life in turmoil.
Sure, other films like “Colonel Blimp,” “Hope and Glory,” “Atonement,” and the “Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” have dealt with “The Blitz”. For example, in the latter, a group of siblings heads into the countryside seeking safety. But in McQueen’s film, the “Blitz” does not act as an invisible threat or a mere transition, and is instead vehemently focused on the deep feeling of trauma and destruction. It encapsulates the struggle of survival for prolonged periods of time which feels like a day-to-day death, and monstrosity. The sequence of these events is scored by Hans Zimmer, and he uses a very dissonant and jarring touch masked in the background noise of electronic sounds. Additionally, it is George’s story that gives me the impression that he’s a mix of Oliver Twist and Empire of the Sun. At a young age, he is put into circumstances where he is surrounded by death and violence and is forced to grow at an unimaginable speed. With impenetrable determination, he struggles upon the perilous and baffling bus system while remaining alert to death, and the never-ending attempts made by the authorities to put him back on a train to the countryside. As George, Heffernan’s performance is a stunning mix of a myriad of tones which encapsulate the brave and stoic demeanor of a young man, while still being deeply rich, playful, and inquisitive.
Rita’s character embodies a tragic and shocked mother who has had to deal with a myriad of adult issues in life while also trying her best to take care of her son. Her primal instincts kick in and her love pours out as she tries to put George’s broken world together. The movie in totality gives her distinctive challenges as a parent and the potential of winning an Oscar.
The camera lens zooms in on Rita’s coat and scarlet lipstick, focusing on Rita’s coworkers applying makeup for the bar scene. One of the most heart-stopping moments in the movie occurs during the passionate different dancing scene in that Rita shares with George’s father. This is similar to the little red coat captured perfectly by the camera in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List.’ The details turn devastating after the wonderous round of dancing in “Lovers Rock” by McQueen, but the pleasure received from watching indicates how good the dancing in round dancing was.
The motion picture is produced by McQueen and captures Blitz, the intense and violent air raid blitz in Britain. He managed to provide great detail on the racism in Britain during the time, a theme he also explored in his great “Small Axe’ series. At the time, George was a biracial boy who was still quite young and showed no mercy from the white bullies.
Years back, he was assaulted while walking on the road. Consequently, got arrested and was later deported to Grenada. When George meets a sympathetic Nigerian soldier, Ife, he claims he is not Black. It is only after witnessing Ife advocate for other suppressed groups in a shelter that he affirms his answer and accepts his Black self. In his cinematic portrayal, the experience of Black British during those times is absent, and, even though it is not very cohesive, it emerges as one of the underlying themes of the film. It is true that some of McQueen’s writing is too much or rather awkward and McQueen’s disciplined approach to visual storytelling is at odds with this. It is moving, albeit very imprecise, how Ife claims that ‘Hitler separated people’ or how another character states that ‘Socialism is like Christianity.’
Other flaws notwithstanding, “Blitz” is a spectacular account of class cinema. Accompanied by their fervor towards its plot, the characters become even more compelling. An asphyxiating blanket of dread looms over every scene. No one is spared from the terrifying shriek of the air raid siren. Regardless of the terrible scenes hijacking dinner parties and bedtime, life still persists.
Rita goes back to her work in the factory and George has fun playing with the cat while George listens to the radio until the routine is disrupted. This does not seem to be just an elegant period film but focuses on the story of the strength of human beings, and this also appears to be relatable even after a century.
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