Belfast
Buddy is a young boy on the cusp of adolescence, whose life is filled with familial love, childhood hijinks, and a blossoming romance. Yet, with his beloved hometown caught up in increasing turmoil, his family faces a momentous choice: hope the conflict will pass or leave everything they know behind for a new life.
Despite its small-scale budget of $11.0M, Belfast became a financial success, earning $49.2M worldwide—a 347% return. The film's bold vision resonated with audiences, confirming that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Belfast (2021) demonstrates carefully calibrated dramatic framework, characteristic of Kenneth Branagh's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 38 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Buddy
Ma
Pa
Pop
Granny
Will
Catherine
Main Cast & Characters
Buddy
Played by Jude Hill
A nine-year-old boy navigating childhood during the beginning of The Troubles in Belfast, caught between innocence and the violence surrounding him.
Ma
Played by Caitríona Balfe
Buddy's devoted mother who struggles to keep the family safe and fed while Pa works in England, balancing strength and vulnerability.
Pa
Played by Jamie Dornan
Buddy's father who works in England and returns home periodically, torn between economic necessity and his family's safety during escalating violence.
Pop
Played by Ciarán Hinds
Buddy's wise and loving grandfather who provides stability, humor, and perspective during turbulent times.
Granny
Played by Judi Dench
Buddy's pragmatic and caring grandmother who anchors the family with love, wisdom, and quiet strength.
Will
Played by Lewis McAskie
Buddy's older brother who navigates adolescence while trying to stay out of trouble in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood.
Catherine
Played by Olive Tennant
Buddy's classmate and crush, a smart and kind Catholic girl who represents innocence and hope amidst sectarian division.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Buddy plays joyfully in the streets of Belfast with neighborhood children on a sunny August day in 1969. The black-and-white cinematography captures an idyllic working-class community where everyone knows each other.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Violent riots erupt on Buddy's street as Protestant loyalists attack Catholic neighbors. Buddy witnesses his street transformed into a war zone with petrol bombs, barricades, and violence. His mother protects him with her body as chaos erupts.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Pa makes the decision that the family must seriously consider leaving Belfast. He commits to finding work and a place in England. This marks the point of no return—the old life of staying is no longer tenable., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Billy Clanton and the Protestant militants pressure Pa to join their cause and participate in violence against Catholics. Pa refuses, making his family a target. The stakes are raised—staying means danger, but leaving means abandoning everything they know., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 73 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Pop (Buddy's grandfather) dies. This "whiff of death" represents the loss of the old generation that ties them to Belfast. It's a devastating blow that severs one of the strongest roots keeping the family in Ireland., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 78 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. After Pop's funeral, Granny gives the family her blessing to leave, releasing them from obligation. The family makes the final decision to move to England. Buddy accepts that leaving doesn't mean betrayal—it means survival and future., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Belfast's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Belfast against these established plot points, we can identify how Kenneth Branagh utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Belfast within the drama genre.
Kenneth Branagh's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Kenneth Branagh films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Belfast represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Kenneth Branagh filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Kenneth Branagh analyses, see Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Buddy plays joyfully in the streets of Belfast with neighborhood children on a sunny August day in 1969. The black-and-white cinematography captures an idyllic working-class community where everyone knows each other.
Theme
Granny tells Buddy, "The ones who left are not better than the ones who stayed, and the ones who stayed are not better than the ones who left." This establishes the film's central thematic question about leaving home.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Buddy's world: his loving family (Ma, Pa who works in England, Granny, Pop), his crush on Catherine, his school life, the tight-knit Protestant community, and the religious/political divisions beginning to surface in Belfast.
Disruption
Violent riots erupt on Buddy's street as Protestant loyalists attack Catholic neighbors. Buddy witnesses his street transformed into a war zone with petrol bombs, barricades, and violence. His mother protects him with her body as chaos erupts.
Resistance
Pa returns from England and debates what to do. The family discusses whether to stay in Belfast or leave for England/Australia. Pa resists joining the Protestant militants. Buddy struggles with understanding the violence and division around him.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Pa makes the decision that the family must seriously consider leaving Belfast. He commits to finding work and a place in England. This marks the point of no return—the old life of staying is no longer tenable.
Mirror World
Buddy's relationship with Catherine deepens as she helps him with his schoolwork. Their innocent childhood romance represents hope and connection amid the chaos, embodying what Buddy would lose by leaving.
Premise
Buddy navigates his life caught between two worlds: childhood innocence (movies, Catherine, playing) and adult realities (debt, violence, religious hatred). The family experiences moments of joy (cinema visits, family dinners) while the community fractures around them.
Midpoint
Billy Clanton and the Protestant militants pressure Pa to join their cause and participate in violence against Catholics. Pa refuses, making his family a target. The stakes are raised—staying means danger, but leaving means abandoning everything they know.
Opposition
Pressure mounts from all sides: escalating violence, crushing debt, threats from militants, and family tensions. Ma and Pa argue about leaving. Buddy steals to help with money. The community becomes increasingly dangerous and fractured.
Collapse
Pop (Buddy's grandfather) dies. This "whiff of death" represents the loss of the old generation that ties them to Belfast. It's a devastating blow that severs one of the strongest roots keeping the family in Ireland.
Crisis
The family grieves Pop's death. Buddy processes the loss and the reality that his Belfast is dying with his grandfather. Ma and Pa face the painful truth that there's no future for them here.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
After Pop's funeral, Granny gives the family her blessing to leave, releasing them from obligation. The family makes the final decision to move to England. Buddy accepts that leaving doesn't mean betrayal—it means survival and future.
Synthesis
The family prepares to leave. Buddy says goodbye to Catherine, his friends, his street, and Granny (who chooses to stay). They pack their belongings and prepare for their new life. The final journey away from Belfast begins.
Transformation
The family drives away from Belfast. Buddy looks back at the city one last time. The black-and-white shifts to color as they cross into their future. Buddy carries Belfast with him—not as a prison, but as a foundation for who he'll become.