Thirty years of conflict in Northern Ireland produced fratricidal feuds, political intrigue, quests for justice, intimate family dramas, and a flood of violence. These elements translate vividly to film, and several titles stand out as especially significant in portraying the era on screen.
BELFAST (Kenneth Branagh, 2021)
Set in the summer of 1969, the film follows the early days of the Troubles through the eyes of a boy who watches as his Protestant neighborhood is reshaped by bomb-laden vehicles, armored vehicles, and barricades. He observes his world change and feels the pull of family migration toward England as sectarianism and persecution intensify.
071 (Yann Demange, 2014)
Drawing on a notorious 1970 raid, Falls Road Curfew, the film unfolds a sequence of clashes between British soldiers and the IRA. Stranded behind enemy lines after breaking from his unit, a young soldier fights to survive in a labyrinth of hostile terrain and uncertainty.
BLOODY SUNDAY (Paul Greengrass, 2002)
On January 30, 1972, a peaceful civil rights march ends in tragedy as fourteen protesters are killed by British troops. The film reconstructs the events with immediacy, conveying the fear, confusion, and tension that followed and the impact on the Catholic community’s support for the Provisional IRA. It also foregrounds the camera’s eye to reveal the chaos of the streets and the breakdown of trust.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (Jim Sheridan, 1993)
This drama revisits the Guildford Four case, focusing on the wrongful arrest, trial, and imprisonment of several men in 1975. Centered on Martin Sheen’s character, the film highlights the legal and political pressures that shaped state responses to IRA activities and the human cost of a flawed justice system.
ELEPHANT (Alan Clarke, 1989)
A stark, unflinching short that unfolds across a handful of scenes, it presents the brutal toll of the Troubles by presenting each victim with quiet, unadorned honesty. The film refuses to moralize, instead forcing viewers to witness the raw consequences of violence as it accumulates month after month.
HUNGER (Steve McQueen, 2008)
The film chronicles the final days of Bobby Sands and other prisoners who died during the 1981 hunger strike. It juxtaposes the harsh conditions of prison life with the fragility of the human body, while also exploring the burden carried by the officers who enforced policy and faced ongoing danger.
HIDDEN AGENDA (Ken Loach, 1990)
A police investigation into alleged state-sponsored violence and shoot-to-kill policies becomes a lens on the broader struggle over justice in Ulster. The narrative examines how anti-terror measures intersect with civil rights concerns and how the British presence shaped the administration of law in Northern Ireland.
DERRY GIRLS (2018-2022)
This three-season sitcom set in the 1990s balances irreverent humor with the gravity of living amid conflict. Five teenagers navigate adolescence, loyalty, and exams while grappling with sectarian tensions that echo through their everyday lives.
JOURNEY (Nick Hamm, 2016)
Viewers glimpse political negotiations and personal diplomacy as Protestant and Catholic leaders find common ground. The dialogue between rival perspectives reveals how shared humanity can bridge divides, even during a period of deep-seated division.
OMAGH (Pete Travis, 2004)
Set against the backdrop of the Good Friday peace process, this docudrama chronicles a 1998 bombing by a dissident faction and the subsequent search for loved ones. Families confront the chaos, seek answers, and pursue justice amid a long road to reconciliation.