Irish youth. British invaders. A group of warriors fighting for their homeland. A green.
In the first half of the film, the atrocities of the British against the Irish are the kind that often appear in war films, indifferent, numb, direct, bloody, with some neuroticism triggered by the war, those people seem not to be normal people, but A war machine, mechanical, cold-blooded, frantic laughter.
Teddy and Damian are Irish brothers. In order to protect his homeland from the invaders, Teddy joined the Republican Army with other friends. Damien is extremely pessimistic about the war, and does not believe that the weak Ireland can defeat the mighty British Empire. He just wanted to get back to London soon to finish his medical course and become a doctor.
The first turning point of the film is at the train station. Damien prepares to take the train back to London, but witnesses a British violence at the station. In an instant, he changed his mind and returned to his friends as a warrior fighting for Irish independence. Brothers fought side by side, through life and death. The brutality of the war also forced him to personally end a teammate who betrayed the organization and was also a childhood friend.
The second turning point was an internal trial in an Irish court. A merchant made a usury loan to a peasant woman, and the court ruled that the merchant should return the peasant woman's interest. For the first time, the brothers stood on different class positions. Teddy hopes to use the merchant's wealth to provide material convenience for the battle, but Damien does not want to win over a merchant who squeezes so many poor people to finance this war purely for justice and independence.
The third turning point is the complete breakup of the brothers. The signing of the peace agreement is just a disguised compromise under the guise of independence. Ireland remained subservient to the tyranny of the British Empire. Damien, who held fast to Irish independence, was clearly incensed by the government's cowardice and British hypocrisy. Teddy's attitude towards reality is as weak as the Irish government. He took refuge in the free government controlled by the British colonists, but permanently bid farewell to his brother who once shared weal and woe.
Who can tell who feels more honor for their choice, the two almost simultaneously embarked on a road of no return.
When the wind was blowing quietly through the wheat field, who could hear those thick green wheat leaves weeping in a low voice.
Independent faith, free faith, just to keep a touch of quiet faith in Ireland, all surging through the wheat waves.
When self-esteem is trampled on, when the country is conquered, when all people tend to be in a state of mania under war, who is still willing to silently adhere to that belief.
Before Damien died, he confided to the person he loved: his once most beloved brother, was slowly turning into a walking dead.
It was Teddy who personally ordered the execution of his younger brother. Ready, aim, shoot, done. The passing of life is divided into these four processes. Teddy burst into tears at the last moment. He turned his back on revolutionary ideals and deserved to be cast aside. However, as he weeps, we suddenly discover that mutineers like Teddy are but an inevitable by-product of this war. It was the war that made Damien's loyalty to the country, and it was also the war that divided the two brothers who were once close.
We think war has destroyed our homes, destroyed our culture and our economy. The most lasting effect of the war is that it erodes humanity, shatters the originally close and harmonious family, and sometimes even has to face betrayal and ruthlessness.
Who can keep the original belief in the cruelty that wipes out human nature like standing in the wheat field, who can maintain the original pure green without being stained with a variegated color in the chaos of upside down black and white.
When the wind blows through the wheat field, it brings a lonely faith together, and whether the faith is left behind or disappears with the wind, that is the contest of human nature.
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