Kenneth Branagh does not claim that his family actively opposed vigilante violence or that they took risks to defend Catholic neighbors-- which would have made for a compelling narrative of valor and self-sacrifice. Instead, we see that his father didn't want his family conscripted into a Protestant mob (good on him) and sought a better life for all of them 'across the water.' Sincere congrats to them, but I'm not sure I detect either heroism or a valid movie premise here, and I certainly don't detect any sophisticated or nuanced political/social commentary about the troubles. Times got rough. The family bailed, as I probably would've done in the circumstances. Baby Branagh had to leave his hometown and his wee sweetheart, and then he had to learn the received pronunciation to adapt (and eventually thrive and succeed at an enormous level). Sad? I guess, maybe, at the time.... Am I judging them? Absolutely not. But am I shedding tears for them or especially moved by their story or their moral example? Definitely not. They did what they had to do for *themselves* in a bad situation. No more, no less. I fail to see what I was supposed to get invested in or care about here.
