In a year when I was more often drawn to world cinema, there was at least one notable exception. Steve McQueen’s Blitz packs more action in two hours than some Hollywood blockbusters, and despite a more traditional style than expected from the auteur of Small Axe and Occupied City, it’s authentically a Londoner’s movie. Following a reluctant evacuee (Elliot Heffernan) and his conflicted mother (Saoirse Ronan), Blitz is hard-hitting and poignant, with a child’s view on war reminiscent of films like Hope and Glory, Au Revoir Les Enfants, and Empire of the Sun. Continue reading →