Four Days in July [1984]

 Mike Leigh’s final television film and the middle chapter in his terrific trilogy on Thatcher’s harsh regime – sandwiched on either side by Meantime and High Hopes – Four Days in July remains a remarkable, albeit criminally underrated, work in his canon. Like the two other films, it too was a defiantly political film, filled with rousing left-wing solidarity and radical compassion. Its tone, however, wasn’t one of anger or disillusionment; rather, it was enveloped in understated warmth, fragility and melancholy, which made it even more touching and eloquent. Set in Belfast at the peak of “The Troubles”, the turbulent Northern Ireland conflict provided a politically-charged backdrop, informing the characters and their personal stories, but rarely overshadowing the intimate tale of two couples – at opposite ends of political and religious divides – expecting their first children during the 12^th July “Orange Marches”. The gregarious, warm-hearted Collette (Brid Brennan), and the withdrawn, soft-spoken Eugene (Des McAleer), who’s been crippled by bullets and shrapnel, are Catholics and republicans quietly hoping for a free Ireland. Leigh’s kinship, unsurprisingly, was steadfastly with this unassuming couple that was magnificently brought to life by the two actors. Their gentle banters with similarly humble and memorably portrayed neighbours – deadpan window-washer (Stephan Rea) and modest plumber (Shane Connaughton) – added nuanced undertones to their milieu. The other side of the spectrum was represented by the brash army officer Billy (Charles Lawson) and his unsettled wife Lorraine (Paula Hamilton), who’re Protestants and unionists. Two exceptionally stitched sequences especially stood out – Collette pensively singing the haunting IRA ballad “The Patriot Game”; and the two new mothers, in adjacent hospital beds, realizing their divides by the fundamentally contrasting names they’ve chosen for their babies.

Director: Mike Leigh

Genre: Drama/Political Drama/Marriage Drama

Language: English

Country: UK