No joy to be found on this dismal ride

One star for being Irish and another for being mildly amusing at times - but it doesn't really deserve 2 stars.

Incoherent storyline, cartoonish characters, poorly directed, it is almost complete rubbish. 

Sound so poor we had to turn on the hard-of-hearing subtitles to catch what they were saying - not that they were saying anything very interesting. The oirishness was dialled up to 11 and frankly irritating, Photography competent though.

The director should go back to documentaries, and the writer should try a different line of work. You shouldn't waste your time watching it, its not even bad enough towe worth seeing it to laugh at.

Growing up in a time of troubles

D0 not watch the "alternative ending" on the DVD - its a Kenneth Branagh wank. Aside from that it is probably the best film he has ever been involved with. Great music from Van the Man as well.

It quite a gentle drama of family life in a poor initially unsegregated area of Belfast in the 1960s. Possibly a somewhat romanticised view of community before neo-liberalism destroyed everything, but the characters are good and interesting and the boy Buddy (Jude Hill) is excellent. Its a story of those who ultimately decided to leave, rather than delving into the politics or the lives of those who decided to stay.

Charming rather than gritty social-realism, but that can be okay - there are other films about the harder side of The Troubles.

Enjoyable eco-thriller with happy ending

Andreas Malm's excellent book of the same name dealt with why to do it, this film shows how to make it happen. The 8 characters all have a different back-story and motivation, they are all more-or-less young, and have all reached a point where it seems like the logical thing to do. Together they form an effective team with the usual interpersonal tensions sometimes getting in the way.