The opening for Steve McQueen’s latest film, Blitz, is an assault on the senses. After a short written prologue underscored by ominous music, the shouts and horror of a street on fire light up the screen. A fireman tries to extinguish some of the flames but loses control of the hose and is knocked unconscious, the nozzle spraying everyone in its path. For McQueen, it’s a metaphor for the social issues that plagued a racist WWII Britain amidst the threat of Hitler’s rule. It’s also an apt image for the film itself.
At its center, Blitz follows nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan), a Black child living in London with his white mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), grandfather Gerald (musician Paul Weller), and their cat, Ollie. Though bullied for his race by a few of his peers, his home life is a happy one, singing at the piano with his family.
With Germany at their door and air raids happening nightly, his mother faces the devastating decision to send him away to the country with other city children to wait out the war. Furious with his mother for forcing him to go, he jumps off the train and tries to make his way home. Along the way, he runs into various characters like three brothers also running away from a children’s home, a police officer (Benjamin Clémentine, giving a standout performance), and a band of thieves.
We also see Rita’s time away from her son, working in a bomb factory and getting more interested in activism within the shelter system. The chemistry between Heffernan and Ronan grounds the film. You can’t take your eyes off of her whenever she is onscreen, and like I said when I reviewed The Outrun earlier this year, Ronan makes everything she is in better than it would be without her.
About two-thirds into the runtime, the story takes a Dickensian turn with character actor Stephen Graham playing a cruel gang leader who traps George into joining and into looting bombed-out houses and businesses. It’s at this point the narrative starts to drag. The people George meets and the missteps he takes on his way home start to blur together and the story loses its stride. The narrative could have been more effective if it was more streamlined and therefore 30 minutes shorter.
He might be lacking on the narrative front, but visually and auditorily Steve McQueen has never been greater. The sound design in this film is astounding and pulls you in from its first cue. Hans Zimmer’s score is surprising and mesmerizing, pushing the narrative forward with every beat. The same goes for cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, who finds color and intrigue in every frame.
Besides any aspect of its filmmaking, what’s wonderful about Steve McQueen’s Blitz is that it represents a side of WWII that isn’t often seen on-screen. Seeing this period through the eyes of a Black child just isn’t a rarity but a necessity. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film was used in high school English or History classrooms. Though it loses itself a bit and is not comparably as strong as McQueen’s previous works, Shame or 12 Years A Slave, there’s plenty to like about Blitz.
Apple releases Blitz in select theaters on November 1st, followed by Apple TV+ on November 22nd.
*NOTE: This review was originally part of our Middleburg Film Festival coverage.*
