Ken Roach, director of The Wind and the Wheat, tells a grim story. In addition to the specific background of the Irish Independence Movement and the subsequent Irish Civil War, what is more touching is how individuals can be coerced by political movements, and political movements. Expanded logic.
To say that where there is oppression, there is resistance, is an overly revolutionary discourse, but it is indeed convincing. As the protagonist, the medical student could have detached himself from politics, but witnessing the brutality of the soldiers of the British colonists aroused his will to pursue national independence. Witnessing the life and death of the poor in Ireland led him to the goals of left-wing socialism. This caused him to part ways with his brother.
For individuals to achieve their goals of resistance, they must act in unison with their peers, that is, to participate in an organization, and once they join an organization, they must act in an organized manner. In an organization, the exercise of individual free will often means the disintegration of the organization. For an organization to function, it must maintain discipline. The protagonist's execution of the British soldier and the renegade whistleblower's 17-year-old neighbor, and the final execution of the protagonist's brother by the protagonist's brother, all proceed with the same organizational logic. When the two groups are involved in a state of war, the mutual suppression between them will become more and more cruel and bloody, forming a vicious circle, which is also independent of personal will.
The protagonist's pursuit of socialism, as a direct response to the reality of poverty, has its side of justice, but history has proven that the deprivation of the rich does not lead to a happy society, but to general poverty and the loss of human dignity and freedom. If the protagonist's ideal comes true, how will he face the cruel reality? Or will he soon be kicked out of the political fight?
The vicissitudes of China in the 20th century are far better than that of Ireland, a small island country. When reviewing Chinese history, can Kenroach's grim vision give us some inspiration?
View more about The Wind that Shakes the Barley reviews
