Titanic Town

There's nothing wrong with action blockbusters.

But too many ppl watching an indy historical docudrama based on a specific time in history, based on real people, based on events that actuallly occurred, complaining essentially what is wrong with the movie is: it's not Hollywood.

It's historical.

It's a docudrama.

It's based on real people.

It's based on real events.

If you want an action movie, don't complain that a historical docudrama isn't.

This is a powerful window into a reality that could all too easily happen to anyone. Armed soldiers having actual shootouts on manicured lawns in suburbia - during daytime hours while kids are walking to and from school, playing on the playgrounds, etc. Your own government freely searching the homes of you and all your neightbors solely because the IRA was fighting them in the streets in your neighborhood. No judge. No search warrant. Hauling ppl off to interrogation based on nothing more than the fact they lived in an area the IRA was shooting up.

Basically, the equivalent of trying to live your life in the middle of No Man's Land during WWI.

Ppl who find this to be boring, to lack drama, to lack intrigue, have obviously spent too much time on fiction, not enough thinking about if it was their father hauled away. If it was their brother who received a head injury by an angry mob. The movie isn't really an 8, but raising my score a little to offset the complaints that it's not something it never claimed to be.

Not marking this as spoilers. It's historical events. You should have a rough idea of the basic overarching events already. If you don't know which side eventually got their way, go read a book.

"Titanic Town" is a journeyman drama with a low budget feel which revisits Belfast, NI (circa 1970's) when the IRA and Brits waged war in the streets. The film tells of a housewife and mother who gets fed up with the violence and takes the initiative waging her own war of peace through mediation. Open ended and relatively uneventful, this film has little to offer save the curious and sometimes humorous juxtaposition of a "mom" amongst considerably more sagacious combatants. Not a bad small screen watch for moms but pretty trite stuff by cinematic standards.

I saw this at the 1998 Montreal Film Festival and found it a moving and challenging film on the complexities of personal and political response to a longstanding and divisive issue. Well acted and cinematographed, this film added a dimension that has been rarely touched upon in other depictions of the "troubles in Northern Ireland." It compliments "Every Mother's Son" and "In the Name of the Father" with a moving story of the long-lasting and indiscriminate effects of violence and an attempt to question its limits as a political strategy. This is not a simplistic film, and its power comes from the depth of its critique of all the players in this ongoing political struggle.

True story of one Bernie McPhillimy, a determined lady who tries to negotiate an agreement between the IRA and the Brits in 1972, during the height of the fighting. She is tired of innocent children being killed and comes up with an idea of a 'daytime truce' so the children can safely get to school and back. From he modest petition drive she is thrust quickly into the limelight as a leader of the 'peace movement.' Although she is not pro-British, she is given the tag of 'anti-IRA' by the nieghbours and we see the wrath that label brings upon her and her family. Despite all the setbacks and threats, her dogged determination is inspiring and at times even fun to watch. This movie does a great job of putting you right in the thick of things in Belfast. Unlike other movies based on the troubles in Ireland which usually looks at it from an IRA standpoint, this one focuses on how the regular blokes are affected and what their daily lives are like. Not entirely uplifting nor a complete bummer, it treads keenly between an over the top drama and made for tv drama. Still, I like it.

Very good film about Northern Ireland and the early troubles. Excellent acting by Nuala O'Neill and especially Julie Walter who not only carried the accent well but acted superbly also. Thankfully unlike so many other films based on the troubles in NI this one shows a realistic view of events. Highly recommended.