Blitz Movie Review

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The first moments take your breath away. Bombs are dropped, making a mess everywhere. It’s a lengthy ariel assault on the people of London who are attempting to live through the attempts to destroy their city and way of life. Fires rage out of control with not enough resources to deal with them. Frightened, you watch as more are dropped on their heads. When the people have no homes left to be bombarded and nowhere left to go, they take refuge in the subways, bringing with them what little possessions they have left.

Luckily for Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old multiracial son, George (Heffernan), they have her father Gerald (Paul Weller) to help look after them. Not everyone cared for one another back in those days, especially when it came to a child who wasn’t white, not that George fully understands this.

But before all of that, we see that Rita gets an opportunity, and does, send George off to the country for a while… to be safe. A family can watch over him until all is well. He’ll be back with his mother before you know it, something else he doesn’t understand. Such is the chaos of war. Many other parents must do the same. George doesn’t want to go and makes sure his mother knows what he thinks of the idea, with words that stab her in the heart. The stinging words are, “I hate you!” She’s very sensitive and has a difficult time dealing with his tantrum. He runs off but ends up on a train headed to the country. There are a lot of white kids on the train. They make fun of him, but the scene shows the spirit he has when it comes to sticking up for himself, mostly because he’s used to being called a “black bastard” by the neighborhood kids.

Working at a factory for the war effort, Rita protests the war while on television. Something she never thought she’d see herself doing. We jump back and forth from her story to George’s journey the entire time. It’s exceptionally well done, making sure to never bore. She and George both grow during this period of time. Speaking of George, he has thought it over and decides the countryside isn’t for him. When the time is best, he leaps from the train. He gets on another train to go back to where he’s supposed to be. Life throws a lot at him during the trek he has decided to make. It won’t be as easy as he thinks it will, but everywhere he turns, he finds a friendly Londoner willing to help him out.

He’s taken in by a black soldier, mesmerized by the way he looks, and how friendly he is. His name is Ife (Benjamin Clémentine) who makes it a personal goal to connect George with the black man inside of him. He asks Ife if he’s black. He never saw his father and most likely has never seen a black man before. They make an immediate connection. Ife takes incredibly good care of the boy. The entire time they’re on screen together is powerful and crucial to the storyline. Their relationship needs to be seen by film goers across all nations. There are others he meets along the way, each exciting to meet.

Cinematically, there’s plenty to love about this movie. Tracking shots are masterful. It reveals a lot through the camera lens as well as through the characters and tremendous acting. There’s nothing left out for you to ponder. The story is about the ties that bind us, through thick and thin and what we can handle when we never believed we had it in us. The script could have been better, though. Several characters weren’t wrapped up. That’s a little irritating but overall, this did have a unique perspective on a story told too many times to name. Through the eyes of this child, it was chilling and loving. He experiences some traumatic things but they’re not always stimulating. I liked the movie, but the start of the story was much better than where it ultimately goes.

You’ve seen this movie told before, but not in this manner. Not with this cast. You’ll see young Elliot Heffernan practically carry the entire film with the precision of a young award winner. I may as well say it, watching him here, he just may be a big winner soon. I do recommend that you see this on the big screen. You’ll be glad you did.