Steve McQueen’s harrowing drama suffers from emotional detachment

Writer-director Steve McQueen has become an expert at making films about lost characters trying to find their way back to their families. He did this with 12 years of slavery and he’s doing it with his last resort, Blitz.
The historical drama is set in 1940, during Nazi Germany’s blitz against Great Britain. Sometimes harrowing and traumatic, McQueen never shows the moment the attacks take place. Still, there are close-ups of the weapons the Germans unleashed on London’s civilian population that foreshadow exactly what will come next. Blitz It’s a well-made film that, with a few exceptions, rings hollow.

Blitz centers on nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan), who is sent to the countryside for his safety by his mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), a factory worker. After an hour on the train leaving London, George gets off and tries to get back to his mother and grandfather (Paul Weller). He meets a variety of people on his journey home, including the kind and gentle Ife (a wonderful Benjamin Clementine) and three brothers who refuse to be separated. George goes through a lot in a few days, but there is a void in the narrative where there should be emotion.

Blitz is a well-made film that doesn’t work

McQueen’s film has its moments, such as when it delves into the city’s racial tensions or economic discrepancies and labor uprisings. It offers us a glimpse of the kind of film it could have been in addressing these things, but Blitz he seems only interested in having George walk past them or try them on for mere moments before moving on to the next one. I wanted to remember George and Rita’s experiences as they take very separate journeys throughout the film, but McQueen keeps us at a distance, as if afraid to get too close.

In a way, Blitz It is a portrait of war, but without the myriad of feelings that accompany it. George is a spectator and we see war-torn London through his eyes, but something is missing. Maybe it’s because Heffernan doesn’t get the chance to fully react to every scenario he finds himself in, and the film treats his every interaction as if he’s checking off a box. The experiences he goes through should have been more intense and vivid. Otherwise, it felt like I was watching a very well-made film that failed to explore anything deeper.

It’s a tense, at times harrowing film that simply left me feeling very little. There’s a truth hidden somewhere, but McQueen doesn’t fully engage with it. Some devices drive the story, making it difficult to be fully immersed in what is happening. But in truth, it’s a strange lack of urgency and emotion that prevents Blitz to be a visceral experience. Through George, the film shows the horror of war, but also doesn’t go any deeper. It is sustained by the protagonist’s uninterrupted journey through the city – a journey that, save for a few devastating moments, fails.

Blitz is supported by great performances and visuals

Saoirse Ronan is great, but Benjamin Clementine steals the show

While Blitz It may not be transformative, nor is it all bad. McQueen is a capable director who moves deftly between different moments, offering a glimpse into Rita and George’s lives before and during the war. These moments could easily have been shocking, but they work for the most part, although it feels like McQueen is trying to improve the film to give it more. Yorick Le Saux’s photography is stunning, capturing the stark contrasts of London – whether in darkness or light. The film is never boring to watch and there are many details.

The film takes us on an intimate tour of London as George meets all kinds of people, many of whom are simply trying to make the best of a horrible situation they have no control over. Ronan is always a joy to watch. She lights up the screen regardless of the role she plays, and this is no different. The actress imbues Rita with a kindness that we feel at every turn, although the biggest drawback is that her role is mostly reactionary.

Benjamin Clémentine ends up stealing the show as the tender and soft-hearted Ife. The actor gives the film a much-needed boost of emotion despite only appearing in a few scenes. Through him, we feel the gravity of the situation, but his sense of hope in the midst of despair is a positive point. He is a genuinely decent human being and a rock for George and those in need in the community. Heffernan carries the weight of the story well, but his character is quite passive after his escape.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have much to say and must mostly react to what’s around him, but George is more of a vehicle for the story than his own character. It is only through his interactions with Ife and, at one point, his mother that we get a sense of his sense of self. I would love for the film to explore George more, but it’s certainly more fascinated by war-torn London as a place in time than any individual character.

Ultimately, this is what makes Blitz less interesting. There are moments that suggest something more, but the result is often empty and repetitive. It feels longer than it should as it meanders, and I couldn’t overcome the sense of detachment that took me away from the characters and their hopes of reuniting.

Blitz screened at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival. The film is now in limited theaters and will expand nationwide on November 8th before streaming on Apple TV+ on November 22nd. It is 120 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including racism, violence, strong language, brief sexuality and smoking. .