Fridae

There is a common saying, "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." And this film shows you why some men are forced to take up arms and turn into what the media calls "terrorists". The thing is, when your land is taken from you and your loved ones are murdered, how else are you supposed to respond?

Directed by veteran helmer Ken Loach, The Wind that Shakes the Barley clinched the top prize of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Although the film is set in Ireland, critics openly speculate that it won the prize because of its obvious parallels with the American invasion of Iraq. Clearly, there is something in the suggestion that America's unjust war � Iraq had nothing to do with Sept 11, and now Iraq's oilfields have been taken over by American companies � will only turn more angry Muslims, who have lost their loved ones, into terrorists.

Ken Loach film stars Cillian Murphy as an honorable Irish man who is studying to be a doctor. But he is so deeply affected by the murder of his friend's family by English soldiers, that he decides to take up arms and join the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to oppose English forces. Although his brother (Padraic Delaney) is fighting with the IRA too, political developments force them to go head-to-head with each other. Although the film does not flinch from showing the violent murders that the IRA perpetrates, there's no doubt which side the filmmakers are on.

All the hallmarks of a Ken Loach film are here � the superb naturalistic performances; the unadorned camera style; the almost documentary approach to the look and feel of the film. The Wind that Shakes the Barley is an extraordinary film, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.