Writer and director Steve McQueen takes us back to the early years of World War II when Germany bombed Britain. According to Britannica, The Blitz (September 7, 1940–May 11, 1941) was the bombing campaign by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II in London and other strategic cities across Britain. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg (“lightning war”). In efforts to save civilians, many were evacuated from urban to rural areas with many of them children. McQueen’s story is about one family – a single mother with a 9-year-old son and her father- and what the evacuation, shelters, and bombing were like for Britain’s citizens.
Rita (Saoirse Ronan), her father Gerald (musician Paul Weller), who was a piano player, and her 9-year-old son George (Elliot Heffernan) are seen living a happy life surrounded by love and music. Their economic circumstances may not have been the best of privilege and wealth, but they were living peacefully. They are seen singing and Gerald teaching George to play the piano. George is a bi-racial child and has lived through bullying from other children, while others in the community have certain thoughts about Rita and her lifestyle years earlier.
She wants her son to be safe and takes the offer of evacuation by the government so that he can travel by train without her or Gerald. The trip is short-lived as George decides to take matters into his own hands to return to his mother and grandfather. There are times during the scenes of George leaving the train and trekking back to the city that I am not sure if I was breathing. As a mother, I was thinking about the many dangers he would face, how he would survive, and the panic Rita would feel knowing George was alone. The news of George’s disappearance further upends her world, filled with many demands.
McQueen’s story is about this one family and many who were trying to survive as best they could. George’s journey takes him to many places and situations and makes him think more maturely than a youngster. He avoided being sent to the country by the authorities, yet he also had to avoid menacing characters who did not have his well-being in mind. Heffernan’s performance of George is awe-inspiring, and he appears wise beyond his young age. He is one to keep watching as he grows up and continues in this industry.
Ronan once again provides a stunning performance as a young mother who will not stop pushing to find her son amidst the bombing. She exhibits her emotions authentically as a mother; the audience can certainly connect with her through this.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux (“Little Women,” “High Life,” and “Only Lovers Left Alive,”), captures her beauty with bright colors when she is happiest with her family, as well as flashbacks to life with George’s father, to more somber moments when she is a factory worker, a shelter volunteer, and other scenes when she is devastated from the chaos at hand.
McQueen does not shy away from the era’s emotional, physical, and verbal interactions. On George’s journey, he meets a friendly Nigerian soldier, Ife (Benjamin Clémentine), who helps him see life with a new perspective in their brief time together.
Blitz is a historical drama set less than one hundred years ago. The stories of all the characters provide scenes of what other people in our current world are going through, which is very sad. Viewing the film, the audience can feel the dread each day they are bombed as they hear the air raid sirens.
One unforgettable scene is when civilians try to live as usual with dinner and dancing. The mood and the music are grand, but they suddenly stop. The silence and the citizens’ gaze toward the roof top surely signal that all is not right in their world.
The music is fantastic, and Hans Zimmer’s score keeps the audience aware of how briefly the night lights could glow for many.
The film screened at the Austin Film Festival and is in Austin (and other theaters) for a theatrical release. “Blitz” will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on November 22, 2024.
Source: Austin Film Festival, Alamo Drafthouse, Apple TV+