The Wind That Shakes the Barley
2006 · Movie · NR · 127 min · ★ 7.3 · 86% critics
In 1920s Ireland, a young doctor prepares to leave for a new job in London, but violence erupts as British forces arrive and a young man is killed. He joins the fight alongside his brother in the Irish Republican Army, only for political events to drive them apart.
Where to watch
Streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now and Acorn TV.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2006
- Release date
- 2006-06-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 127 min
- Critic score
- 86/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (902 votes)
- Box office
- $22,903,165
About
You’ll likely like this gritty independence-era drama if you want hard-hitting realism and moral conflict with no easy answers; Not for you if you want a lighter, purely heroic war story like My Name Is Joe or a gentler political drama like Carla's Song.
Pros: raw, realism-driven emotion; intense brother conflict; strong performances | Cons: slow, deliberate pacing; heavy violence; political bias concerns
Themes
- guerrilla warfare
- civil war
- sibling relationship
- england
- underground
- resistance
- peace
- independence
- traitor
- mercenary
- british army
- british empire
- +9 more
Awards & recognition
- European Film Award — Best Cinematographer · 2006
- Palme d'Or · 2006
- European Film Award — Best Screenwriter · 2006 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Director · 2006 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Film · 2006 · nominated
Show all 7 awards →
- European Film Award — Best Cinematographer · 2006 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Actor · 2006 · nominated
Cast & crew
Cillian Murphy
as Damien
Pádraic Delaney
as Teddy
Liam Cunningham
as Dan
Orla Fitzgerald
as Sinead
- MO
Mary O'Riordan
as Peggy
- MM
Mary Murphy
as Bernadette
- LB
Laurence Barry
as Micheail
Damien Kearney
as Finbar
Frank Bourke
as Leo
- MH
Myles Horgan
as Rory
Directed by Ken Loach