vernon film society
Bringing the best in world and Canadian film to film lovers of Vernon and the North Okanagan
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEYDirector: Ken Loach "This powerful, moving and superbly acted drama is a worthy Palme d’Or winner and one of Ken Loach’s best films to date." – Matthew Turner, viewlondon.co.uk
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His latest and most ambitious film, the historical period piece THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and screened to wide acclaim at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival®. Set in Ireland in 1919, the film chronicles a key chapter in the “Troubles” between Ireland and the United Kingdom. Irish workers have banded together to form a guerrilla resistance to the British “Black and Tan” squads sent to thwart Irish independence. At the heart of the story are two brothers, Damien (Cillian Murphy, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO) and Teddy (Pádraic Delaney). Damien has just started his career as a doctor, but feels compelled to join his brother in what will become a violent fight for rights and freedom. As the war wages on, the Irish bring the British to their threshold and a treaty to end the bloodshed is signed. But deep-seated animosities do not easily disappear and bitter disputes arise. Civil war breaks out, causing rifts not only between enemies, but among those who were once on the same side.
"The history presented in The Wind That Shakes the Barley hardly feels like a closed book or a museum display. It is as alive and as troubling as anything on the evening news, though far more thoughtful and beautiful." - A.O. Scott, The New York Times |
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With such acclaimed films as MY NAME IS JOE, RAINING STONES, LAND AND FREEDOM, BREAD AND ROSES and his segment in the omnibus film 11’09’’01 – SEPTEMBER 11, Ken Loach has created an impressive body of work in the best of the British social realist tradition. 
A drama of epic proportions dealing with family, loyalty and history, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is an engrossing experience that evokes the intimate relationship between brothers, sublimely portrayed by Murphy and Delaney. Loach’s masterful ability to craft appealing stories with deep social relevance is showcased once again.