Honest, heartfelt and epic from beginning to end, Steve McQueen’s Blitz is a take on World War II London that we haven’t seen on screen before. Told through the eyes of nine-year-old George (played by the excellent Elliot Heffernan), McQueen guides us through the interweaving streets of the city both above and below ground as fighter planes and missiles rain down overhead.
Driven by child logic and stumbled upon through hidey-holes and near escapes, George’s story highlights the sense of family, community, grit and determination that famously got Britain through the war. But this isn’t the stiff upper lip, spot of tea and a wave cheerio caricature version of London we’re accustomed to seeing. MQueen’s London confronts the realities of racism, classism and sexism head-on with a bravery that puts truth at the forefront, and the film is all the more rich for it.
It’s clear that the director feels a sense of pride and camaraderie for his country – and that’s demonstrated by his honest representation of the women who took over factories… the survivors of the First World War who live by their own rules… and the powerful, moving speech made by the heroic Nigerian soldier, Ife about the what it means to be a Londoner. This film is a tapestry of life as it was, and it succeeds in its mission of transporting the audience back to a time and place of struggle, strife and bravery in the face of adversity.
Q & A with McQueen
In the Q&A afterwards, McQueen spoke passionately about the urgency of his new picture, inspiring the audience with choice words about how “love can shine above all” and “the importance of achieving truth at all times”. For a movie so large and impressive in scale, it does an amazing job of not overlooking the little things in life – things like singing, loving and holding each other up – the things that are integral to us all now more than ever.
Blitz is in select theatres from 1st November, and streaming release on Apple TV+ from 22nd November
Review by Lisa Kenney – Senior Editor
