Hear the word “Blitz” and you are likely to immediately think of the German bombing raids on the United Kingdom from September 1940 to May 1941 during World War II. The German Air Force bombed most parts of the country, with London the hardest hit. Thousands were killed, and vast areas were destroyed.
This film is directed by Steve McQueen whose 12 Years a Slave won the Best Picture Academy Award in 2014. He is known for creating immersive stories with sympathetic and recognizable characters, often in an historical context. Here he focuses on a widowed mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her biracial nine-year-old son George (Elliott Hefferman) during the early days of the Blitz.
London parents have been encouraged to send their children to the country to be cared for by other families away from the daily bombings. Rita hesitates but finally agrees. She puts George on a train, but he jumps off once they are outside London. He is determined to return home. When Rita, who works in a wartime factory with other women, learns he is missing, she takes leave to try to find him.
There are some harrowing scenes in this story, making George’s journey anything but an adventure. He witnesses neighborhoods in flames, debris from the bombing everywhere, and injured bodies. He finally finds some shelter in an underground station. Watching a young boy trying to find his way alone, a viewer’s mind easily jumps to how vulnerable he is, not just from the bombs but also from people who turn away from him because of his race. He finds a wonderful ally, but that friendship is short-lived.
If you shut your eyes and ignore the period settings and costumes, and instead listen to the sounds of the bombs and the cries of the people, you can imagine what it is like for children of George’s age in combat zones in the world today. Can we see through their eyes as we see through George’s? Do we have the same concern for the children of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere who look up to the sky knowing that those planes they see are about to drop death and destruction upon them?
Yes, this is an involving historical drama. It is also a reminder of the Blitzes going on today.