Rating 5/10
Blitz is director Steve McQueen’s return to feature filmmaking following 2018’s Widows. In the interim, McQueen turned his focus to television, delivering the critically acclaimed BBC One anthology series Small Axe and the Uprising documentary, both of which explored British history through the lens of race. His latest is another view of history through a racial lens. Set during World War II when Nazi Germany conducted sustained aerial bombing campaigns that devastated London and other cities from 1940 to 1941. It boasts the requisite visuals but lacks the emotional depth to fully engage.
The story centers on Rita (Saoirse Ronan), a mother struggling to protect her young son, George (Elliot Heffernan), from the dangers of the air raids. When the bombing intensifies, Rita reluctantly sends George to the countryside for safety. However, the boy, overcome with homesickness, escapes the train and embarks on a dangerous expedition back home through a war-torn landscape. Meanwhile, Rita juggles factory work and the absence of George’s father, who was attacked on the street, arrested, and deported back to the island of Grenada.
McQueen’s meticulous attention to historical detail shines. The depiction of bombed-out streets, chaotic evacuation scenes, and the claustrophobia of air raid shelters immerses viewers in the era. However, for all its technical excellence, the movie fails to create a meaningful connection. George’s feelings are suppressed, and his journey is strangely inert. The character’s stoic demeanor, perhaps reflective of that era’s resilience, makes it difficult to connect with his experiences. Rita evokes more warmth as she struggles with factory work, separation from her son, and the void left by George’s father.
Blitz attempts to capture the early stages of the Blitz through the eyes of a child. As George tries to find his way home to his mom, he meets an unexpected mentor in Ife (Benjamin Clémentine), a Nigerian soldier who helps him embrace who he is amid ethnic tensions. The character comes across as a narrative device to underscore the period’s racial dynamics. The heavy-handed script leans excessively on a critique of society while sidestepping the potential for a wartime adventure. It does a good job of recreating the period, but the account feels more like a lecture on prejudice in 1940s Britain than an emotionally gripping drama.
11-22-24