Director: Yann Demange

Starring: Jack O’Connell, Corey McKinley, Sam Reid, Sean Harris, David Wilmot, Killian Scott

The power of film lies in its ability to put you in a moment, in someone’s shoes, to make you see what they see and feel what they feel. With his impressive debut feature ’71, director Yann Demange puts us in the shoes of a young, terrified British soldier, isolated in conflict-torn Belfast.

After completing his basic training, raw recruit Gary Hook (Unbroken’s Jack O’Connell) is both relieved and disappointed to discover his first deployment is to be a peacekeeping mission in Belfast: “Not even leaving the country.” His reaction shows just how unprepared he is for what he will find there. On his first day there Hook is caught up in a violent street riot sparked by an aggressive police search in a Catholic area. He becomes separated from his colleagues after they are forced to retreat. Lost and disoriented behind enemy lines he has to find his own way back to safety. But in this particular conflict where are the lines, and who is the enemy? Continue reading →