Directed by Rory Duffy, three people from Northern Ireland confront the political and personal uncertainty created by Brexit as they work to protect the fragile peace established by the Good Friday Agreement.
One very strong element of A Fragile Peace is providing a clear reminder of how the Brexit referendum was, in no small part, won on the back of misinformation and a severe lack of awareness. Especially with how the landscape of Britain and the influence of nationalism and right wing attitudes have changed in the years following, it feels an apt time to take a look at the roots of the vote and its consequences.
As Rory Duffy demonstrates, a lot of members of the public who are against immigration, and hold prejudiced, xenophobic views incorrectly believed that Brexit was going to provide them with some version of Britain closer to what they wanted, because that’s what the pro-Brexit parties wanted them to believe, while they paid no attention to the potential consequences of the vote, which we now continue to deal with today.
While many of those issues are frequently discussed, it’s not often you see any news reports or otherwise focus on the impact on relations between Ireland and Northern Ireland: political and commercial. So, for Duffy to specifically dedicate A Fragile Peace to exploring the potential fractures that Brexit held for the island of Ireland, is a nice change of pace. Even more so because he takes the time to go back through the history of The Troubles, something which not enough of British history does. To illustrate the long, arduous, hard fought road to find peace, in order to show how Brexit threatened that.
It’s a good perspective, and the range of voices it features is well done, particularly in portraying different generations. It’s great to hear from those who lived through The Troubles and understand how desperately they don’t want to return to that life, but also from the younger generation who want equal opportunities, a better future and are finding their passion for politics and activism. It’s satisfying to see each of these very different people are united for the same cause, to see how all of their different experiences and circumstances have led them to the same fight.
There’s a good sense of style to the direction and editing, and how the filmmakers employ the archive footage and imagery throughout. They build a personality to it which exists beyond simple outrage or being stuck in a dour political tone, it does a good job of matching to the energies of its subjects. It can occasionally find itself meandering where it doesn’t necessarily need to go, particularly when it spends a little too much time focusing on the US. It does relate to the spread of nationalism and how international politics influence those of the UK, but it also strays the focus away from the key topic. Something that’s most noticeable towards the end, as it prevents the documentary from building a more impactful final message.
A Fragile Peace does a great job of capturing the passion and commitment of the people of Northern Ireland. The dedication to holding onto peace and moving forwards not backwards. It does very well to highlight the key problems with how Brexit came about, as well as the fallout. Rory Duffy chose excellent subjects to show a range of perspectives on the issues. There’s a good style which doesn’t find itself too stuck in the usual documentary playbook, adding more personality. It simply loses focus occasionally which hinders it from more strongly building upon itself to ultimately pack a bigger punch.
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