Yann Demange
'71

'71 is an exceptional film, a half masterpiece in my opinion. I saw it by chance at the cinema yesterday, I went to see another film, but then, for reasons I won't bother you with, I switched to this one.

Set in Belfast in 1971. The situation is quite complex and delicate. On one side are the Protestants, on the other the Catholics. They hate each other. Then there's the IRA, which is in turn divided into two factions, the old and the new guard, and there is no love lost between them, quite the opposite.

And then there's the law, that is, the army, and it is in the army that we meet the protagonist: Gary Hook. He is a young soldier on his first mission.

The mission consists of a search in some apartments for weapons, but the army is met with balloons filled with piss and shit, and that's just the appetizer.

The film struck me for its realistic, stark style and for the changes in pace. Long action sequences...

**SPOILER** there's a foot chase with shooting that is out of this world **END SPOILER**

...are followed by other sequences where everything seems to stop, they don't even speak anymore, just images of death, desolation, despair accompanied by music composed by David Holmes; the soundtrack is evocative.

Moreover, the film has a very sustained rhythm, a series of actions that follow one another and create a top-notch narrative setup. The involvement is total, the tension is at its peak, the plot twists are just around the corner, and some of them you really don't expect, they explode in your hand suddenly like a faulty firecracker on New Year's Eve.

Truly, compliments to this "almost" young director (he is under 40), although maybe at times, in my opinion, the camera shakes a bit too much, but if you go looking for the nitpicks, you'll get your hands dirty.

Go see it (in the original version with Italian subtitles, it's awesome).

Really go see it ...it's the best film of 2015.