A Wee "Roma" Knockoff

My overall disappointment in an exceedingly poor field of the latest Best Picture Oscar nominees continues (one for seven, so far, of movies that deserved the nomination). The pandemic stoppages and shortened eligibility period to make up for the year afore are palpable. At least, writer-director-producer Kenneth Branagh deleted the alternate ending (included on home video) featuring himself, or a version thereof, in this semi-autobiographical indulgence, "Belfast." It's already treacly enough without the old man returning home to weep nostalgia over his childhood. Besides, a more appropriate ending would've had Branagh sitting to watch Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" (2018) before jumping up shouting, "Eureka, I'll rip off that!"

And so he did. Semi-autobiographical emigrant's childhood tale with the title taken from where it's set, check. Desaturated, or black-and-white, cinematography to represent the nostalgia and full of polished tracking shots and focused compositions, check. Civil unrest in the background of the narrative violently breaking its way to the foreground, check. Child raised by a woman or others while the father is largely absent, check. Plenty of films-within-the-film, or movies on TV, or a staged play, and Easter Eggs to the future work of the child-director hidden throughout, check. They even stole the yellow font for the movie poster from "Roma." There's a tactful way to pay homage and take inspiration from another filmmaker's movie, such as Cuarón may've done with Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" (1955), for instance, but "Belfast" isn't that.

My eyes were thoroughly rolling at the otherwise-random shots of an Agatha Christie novel or a "Thor" comic book. I mean, yeah, I get it, Branagh; you've made other lousy movies, too. I'm rather disappointed the young lad never stumbled across a skull, picked it up, and spouted, "what's this to be or not to be about," before being hit my lightening and proclaiming, "It's alive!" At least those films were good. Instead, he watches some Westerns, along with other movies made by others, until he reimagines his father as reenacting a high-noon showdown with the dastardly villain in a street and as surrounded by riot police. Hokey stuff.

Lots of talk of the Moon, too, lest we forget it's 1969. Some time is wasted on an inane puppy romance between two children, her Catholic and him Protestant. I guess that constitutes the Shakespearean Branagh's "Romeo and Juliet" adaptation, or his "West Side Story," rather. The grandparents are played so cutesy I want to vomit all over their Oscar nominations. The picture begins in color, which will return for the films-within-the-film that were in color, as well as for the "Christmas Carol" play, to remind us that this wee Dickensian sap grew up be involved in theatre and cinema. The opening montage of modern Belfast is also more tourist-enticing travelogue than city symphony, unfortunately. There are way too many Van Morrison needle drops, which culminates in a ludicrous funeral. And, Branagh was apparently an annoying child. On the other hand, the fire-and-brimstone protestant preacher is amusingly terrifying.

Cuarón realized that his childhood self wasn't all that interesting, so he made "Roma" more so about the women, particularly the indigenous maid, who raised him, as well as methinks making a balanced counteract to his "Children of Men" (2006). Plus, he's evidently a much better cinematographer and director, as "Roma" looks much better than this inconsistent derivative that seems as though it doesn't know whether it wants to go full antiseptic Cuarón twirling camerawork or go for a more quirky, Wes Anderson-type feel with odd cuts and framings akin to "The French Dispatch" (2021), or even practice bokeh or deep focus. The director of "Gravity" (2013) vs. that of "Thor" (2011). It's not a flattering contrast.