Tomorrow we open Blitz, the latest film English filmmaker Steve McQueen (Shame, 12 Years a Slave, Occupied City), at the Claremont, Glendale, Monica Film Center, Newhall, and Town Center. Starring Saoirse Ronan, it follows the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II. Top film critics have been singing its praises:
"I’ve been to whole film festivals with less cinema than Steve McQueen packs into just two hours." ~ William Bibbiani, TheWrap
"The quiet puncturing of the myth of WWII solidarity on the homefront feels nearly as visceral a shock to the system... It’s not Blitz’s sensory-overload sturm und drang that leaves you gasping for breath. It’s the sneak attack." ~ David Fear, Rolling Stone
"McQueen makes a point of integrating into the film what is rarely seen in movies of this sort: a sharp depiction of racism among Londoners, the enraging sort that has so calcified it still surfaces when people are just trying to survive." ~ Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times“Blitz is a welcome reminder that a bruised, searching and flawed home front, in the waning days of empire, was its own fascinating emotional terrain too." ~ Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
"This is a movie about the way resilience can blossom from vulnerability. No child asks to be a victim of war; sometimes survival, with your soul intact, is the best possible outcome." ~ Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
"Blitz, while not exactly a movie for children, is nonetheless a story about a child, and it has powerful moments of wonderment, humor and even joy." ~ Justin Chang, NPR
"Arguably the most heroic character in the film is the city. And Blitz is, instantly, one of the great “London Movies.” ~ Kevin Maher, Times (UK)