FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Bloody Sunday 

Both sides agree on this: On 30 January 1972, a demonstration march in Derry, Northern Ireland, ended with 13 demonstrators being killed by British soldiers. None of the soldiers were killed. An official investigation found that the British soldiers returned fire from the demonstrators. Later, some of them were even decorated by the King's House. Beyond what both sides agree on, however, there is a deep and implacable disagreement. A deep, open wound in the long and contentious history of the British in Northern Ireland. Once my colleague David from Ireland explained to me: There are two islands. One is British, the other is Irish. What the hell are the British doing on part of the island of Ireland? A new enquiry into the events of 30.1.1972 was presented in 1998, then discussed and discussed and discussed. Into the next millennium. Possibly until today, as the Brexit brings shame to the "United" Kingdom. Paul Greengrass approaches the events in Bloody Sunday like a documentary. It all begins on Saturday evening and covers a 24-hour period. The main character is Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt), a civil-rights leader in Derry. Ironically, Ivan is a Protestant and leads 10,000 Catholic protesters. Many of them want the British to just get out of Northern Ireland. Some are showing solidarity with their co-religionists. Ivan is tireless and always optimistic. A thoroughly admirable man! He fearlessly walks the most dangerous streets, has a good word ready for everyone. Ivan knows that his march will be banned. But he is also sure that the demonstration should be peaceful. Meanwhile, the British army is determined to put a stop to the hooligans. After all, a number of British soldiers have been killed by the IRA. The British see this as "hooliganism". It is now a matter of cracking down. And this Sunday is the opportunity to do so! There are more and more ominous signs, for example when a man promises his mother that no harm will come to him. In the movies, that always means bad luck! The Derry police chief is worried about the soldiers' determination; wonders if it wouldn't be wiser to just allow the march to go ahead. Obviously it's going to happen anyway! Greengrass' film seems amazingly real! Everything looks like Cinema Verite (but unfortunately not the cinema poster and not even the failed DVD cover). If you read more about it, you learn that thousands of extras had volunteered, with some actually being there in 1972, in effect playing themselves. And again, an Irishman in our shop enlightens me that it was not filmed in Northern Ireland at all, but in Dublin. Then we see protesters start throwing stones. Soon rubber bullets are replaced by real bullets and... But Greengrass also shows how demonstrators try to hold back some of their armed men. But his film is of the clear conviction: The British shot first. That is why we also see a demonstrator executed with a shot in the back. We also see how the army tries to plant false evidence. After all, they want to justify the massacre somehow. The film follows the anti-British faction while the army is acquitted in nasty complacency. That's what makes Bloody Sunday so effective! And cinematically, it's a stunner: The unadorned immediate reality that permeates every scene.