The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Director Ken Loach's Brave Emotional Film is 2006 Palm d'Or Winner

Jun 17, 2009

A look at the historic and political background of this complex drama about the troubles in Ireland starring Cillian Murphy as Irish freedom fighter Damien O'Donovan

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a brave and unflinching look one of the most controversial periods of British and Irish history. It documents many of the problems that occurred in the 1920s, when the infamous (and brutal) British army 'Black and Tan' squads poured into Ireland to suppress the nations bid for independence. Directed by renowned British social realist Ken Loach, the story is handled with extreme care, and is never allowed to become the clichéd freedom fight of, say, Mel Gibson's Braveheart. Loach presents a much more realistic, multi-dimensional picture, unafraid to portray the atrocities that take place on both sides.

The Historical Background of The Wind That Shakes the Barley

To oppose the Black and Tans and fight for the end of British rule in Ireland, Irish Republicans formed guerrilla resistance groups (the IRA). After much bloodshed, a peace treaty was signed – the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 – but this did not appease everyone. Some felt, as The Wind That Shakes the Barley shows, it was a compromise they were unwilling to make. After the treaty was signed, members of the IRA were divided. The British army withdrew to allow the Irish Free State to take over, but some of the freedom fighters were unwilling to side with the Irish Free State. This led to a civil war, pitting Irishman against Irishman. The Wind That Shakes the Barley captures this history very effectively by portraying the different senses of duty, and ultimately divided loyalties, that occur between two brothers. It is a highly intelligent and convincing means by which to effectively tell a complex story.

The Brothers' Story in The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) has witnessed the brutalities of the Black and Tans at first hand, but he feels the odds are stacked against any attempt at an Irish uprising. He has plans to go to London and study to become a doctor. At the station, just as he's about to leave, he witnesses British soldiers savagely attacking the train driver and guard. This finally pushes him to join his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) as a resistance fighter. The two fight on side by side, soon enduring such vicious barbarism that Damien's medical knowledge is immediately put to good use.

The British certainly don't come out of this film at all well, but The Wind That Shakes the Barley is not (as some critics at the time clamored) anti-British. In fact, Loach has taken a very cool, calm approach to the documented facts, using them to build a layered story that looks at the utter futility of war. This is summed up in the heart-breaking scene where Damien feels duty bound to execute the young boy who was coerced into giving up the names of the resistance fighters. It is a moment of great tragedy, and stops the simple 'us versus them' trajectory dead in its tracks. Here's the purported hero of the film obeying orders to kill one of his own. He's visibly shaken to have to carry out such a duty, and so are the audience to witness it, but he carries out the order nonetheless.

By the end of the film, the brothers that fought side by side are now vying against each other. Teddy has joined the Irish Free State, but Damien refuses to compromise his principles. The final denouement is a trial of epic proportions, and a sombre end to an emotionally draining film.

Critical Reception of The Wind That Shakes the Barley

There was an outcry in certain sections of the British media. Several journalists who didn't even bother to see the film vehemently condemned it. Ruth Dudley Edwards wrote a scathing article about the film, even though she openly admitted in The Guardian that she hadn't seen it. Simon Heffer wrote a similar piece for The Telegraph. They presumed the film was glorifying the IRA, but of course it does nothing of the sort. True, it examines a shameful aspect of Britain's past, which has previously been swept under the carpet, but the behaviour of the Black and Tans is based on truths already well known to Irish nationals. What happened is nothing for Britain to be proud of, but it is something that needs to be acknowledged, not denied. The brutality of the British soldiers was matched by the retaliating Irish, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley shows this. It does not seek to lionize or vilify either side in the Irish War of Independence. Just to present the stories faithfully.

Because the subject matter was so contentious, The Wind That Shakes the Barley only had a limited release planned in the UK. Outside of Britain it was greeted with praise. When it won the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes film festival, the distribution in the UK was upped, and the publicity increased. This had a double edged effect. Whilst a larger UK audience was able to access the film, it also meant the particular section of critics eager to get their knives out began to shout even louder. If only they had bothered to look beyond their knee jerk rhetoric, they might have found out what a brave, important, emotionally moving film Ken Loach had truly created.

Further Reading: Find out all about Ken Loach's latest Cannes success story Looking for Eric.

The copyright of the article The Wind That Shakes the Barley in British Films is owned by Michelle Strozykowski. Permission to republish The Wind That Shakes the Barley in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.