Blitz

 

“My mom sent me away. 

She did it to keep you safe.”

Sappy, resilient and panoramic, Blitz is a kaleidoscopic portrait of Londoners during the bombing of WW2 that lacks full focus or subtlety as it tries to capture the varied experiences of its characters, but never fully captures their lives, whilst still delivering a technically impressive depiction of the collaborative effort of a society in the face of adversity.

Discussion Points:

Blitz is a mixed bag - broadly good - and technically impressive - but lacks focus and becomes episodic in its approach to showing the different ways that the Blitz affected Londoners. McQueen’s Small Axe anthology similarly paints a group of Londoners from different perspectives - but each was given its own full story to illustrate the experience - but Blitz is unfortunately rushed as it condenses the experience of a mother, a child, minorities, women, soldiers and more all into one panoramic landscape. Reminiscent of films like Dunkirk and Belfast - the films greatest strengths are its exploration of how war destroys the innocence of youth - and how in the face of collective adversity that collaboration supersedes individual prejudices. Saorise Ronan is absolutely heartbreaking as a mother faced with single parenthood during war and the necessity of evacuating her son, played with stiff reserve by newcomer Elliott Heffernan. Other highlights include the films sound mix, score and production design which helped created an immersive historical portal into the experience of a society in active conflict - which also resonates with more contemporary events that litter news headlines. Nothing truly outstanding, but a solid war drama sure to appeal to many people.