Blitz: LFF Film Review
Steve McQueen released the war documentary Occupied City last year and he’s already back with another World War II feature, this time the fictional family drama Blitz.
Set in wartime London in September 1940, the film stars newcomer Elliott Heffernan as George, a nine-year-old biracial boy who is sent away to the English countryside by his single mum Rita (Saoirse Ronan) for his safety amid the ongoing bombings. The defiant and fearless young boy refuses to be evacuated and jumps off the train in the middle of nowhere, forcing him to embark on a perilous journey to return home to East London.
This certainly isn’t the first film to depict the Blitz but it feels unique being told through the eyes of a young child, especially a person of colour. It also shines a spotlight on how women helped with the war effort, with Rita working in a munitions factory alongside the likes of Agnes (Sally Messham), Tilda (Hayley Squires) and Doris (Erin Kellyman). Wartime films are often very white and male and Blitz corrects that by truly representing the diversity of London.
George really goes through it in this movie – I felt sorry for the poor boy, who can’t catch a break. He meets many people and endures many challenges throughout his journey. He is totally lost and has to rely on the kindness and generosity of others and he is often betrayed. There were one or two too many trials in his journey, making it feel quite long, but I cared about him a lot and willed him to get home. First-time actor Heffernan does a delightful job holding down the film, often solo, especially as George is constantly being put through the wringer.
It sounds like the film is just one bleak and traumatic moment after another but McQueen recognises that people often find lightness and joy in the dark times and makes sure to include this. For example, there is a scene where Ronan sings beautifully for a BBC radio broadcast at her factory and another where the women go out to the pub. George’s journey is interspersed with Rita’s quest to find her son as well as flashbacks to happier times with her father Gerald (Paul Weller) and George’s father Marcus (CJ Beckford).
This film contains some incredible setpieces that capture the chaos, sheer terror and devastation of the time, from people flocking to a tube station at the sound of an air raid siren and homes being destroyed night after night. This is where the spectacular production design really comes into its own. Some of the events depicted are inspired by real moments in history and some of the characters George meets are based on real people, such as the Nigeran air raid warden Ife (Benjamin Clementine). So while the story is fictional, it hits home knowing that it’s grounded in so much reality. I may have cried!
Although it’s a bit too long, Blitz is a moving wartime epic driven by the love between a mother and her son, with yet another spot-on performance from the ever-reliable Ronan.
Blitz opened the London Film Festival on Wednesday 9th October
Released in select cinemas on 1st November and Apple TV+ on 22nd November