Oscar winning writer-director and artist Steve McQueen has talked about his films ‘illuminating ghosts’ and with Blitz he reexamines the destruction of London during the German air raids of World War II from a new perspective. It is an excellent corrective told from a child’s eye view that leads the viewer through the munition factories and bombed out shells of famous landmarks and houses as mixed-race child evacuee George (Elliott Heffernan) jumps off the train to the countryside to make his way home to his beloved mum Rita (Saoirse Ronan with a cockney accent) and grandad Gerald (Paul Weller). 

Richly shot by cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, with an unsettling score by Hans Zimmer, the picture has a classic feel to it as it pays tribute to unsung heroes. British war-time dramas are certainly referenced throughout, but there’s also humour and the imagery is deeply poetic. Close-ups of citizens’ shoes as they scramble to safety subtly acknowledge the horrors of the Holocaust and black-and-white shots of daisies bookend the film as a hopeful call for peace. 

Endearing family sing-a-longs bring to mind the work of the late Terence Davies while the narrative of an innocent child confronted with death, survival and humanity at its worst is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun. In addition, McQueen explicitly explores sexism and the racism of the Black British experience at the time. Equally thrilling, haunting and poignant, McQueen’s ability to bring to vivid life unfamiliar figures from a well-documented period in history is a magnificent achievement. 

Blitz is in cinemas from Friday 1 November and on Apple TV+ from Friday 22 November.