’71 World Cinema

An explosive thriller set at the height of the Troubles in 1971 Belfast, the discovery of this year’s Berlin Film Festival concerns 24 hours in the life of a rookie British soldier, who becomes separated from his regiment during a riotous raid gone wrong. Stranded and without a weapon, young Gary (played with forceful conviction by rising star Jack O’Connell) must survive the night in the hostile streets of IRA-controlled territory, and find his way home to the base that’s barely finished training him. Enemies abound on all sides, as each obstacle becomes a true test of physical exertion and moral character. Filmmaker Yann Demange’s aggressively cocksure debut gives Hollywood action films a run for their money, adroitly lacing his politically charged thriller with powerful emotional resonance, sensitive commentary on the cost of war and gut-wrenching moments of violence and fear that refuse to let up.