From TIME · Judy Berman · · 1m 30s
Love defies war in PBS's devastating Belfast drama
A new miniseries explores how two people from opposite sides of the Troubles find romance amid violence and hatred.
In brief
A new miniseries explores how two people from opposite sides of the Troubles find romance amid violence and hatred. In times of conflict, choosing love and individual identity over fear and stereotypes becomes a radical act. Originally reported by TIME.
Art and suffering collide
A schoolteacher and a customer debate whether great art requires great pain, a conversation that deepens when their own romance blooms amid the violence of 1970s Belfast.
“Can you have one without the other?”
Two people on opposite sides
Cushla is a Catholic schoolteacher caring for her alcoholic mother. Michael is a Protestant barrister who speaks against police brutality, making enemies on both sides of the conflict.
Belfast as a war zone
The series depicts the city as a place where violence reaches every doorstep and neighbors surveil each other to ensure loyalty to their side.
Complex characters, not victims
Petticrew plays a bright, stubborn protagonist. Cullen's Michael is a crusader but also a compartmentalizer who hides his infidelity. Even Gillian Anderson's alcoholic mother deepens beyond stereotype.
Love as radical resistance
Michael declares they must choose freedom over fear and not let bigots and gunmen dictate their lives. For a couple in a war with no gray area, this ideology may be suicidal.
“We must find the bravery to choose freedom over fear.”
Heartbreak as the price
The series suggests that whether love justifies the pain it brings is too personal a question to resolve. It premieres September 20 on PBS.
What matters most
In times of conflict, choosing love and individual identity over fear and stereotypes becomes a radical act.
