The ethical considerations in the film “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” are complex. This is because there are ethical dilemmas in the film which are, on the one hand, personal, and on the other hand, related to politics. One of the greatest strengths of the film is how the director weaves together these two separate threads. For example, the personal relationship between the film’s heroes, Teddy and Damien, also mirrors the ethical problems that shaped the Irish struggle for independence from Great Britain. Throughout the film, there is an ethical question asked of what is the proper course of action: this question appears on the personal and political levels which become inseparable in the film.
The film begins with Damien’s decision to join the IRA. At the outset of the movie, he does not wish to join the IRA, thinking the IRA’s struggle against Britain is hopeless. His best friend and brother, Teddy, is the leader of an IRA division and wants Damien to join. This is a personal ethical crisis for Damien. Should he join the IRA, for his country, or perhaps for his brother? It is only when Damien sees the British Army bullying a train conductor that he decides to join the IRA. Therefore, Damien makes the ethical decision that even if the situation appears to be hopeless, it is important to stand up for what one truly believes is right.
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"Ethical Considerations from the film “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”".
One of the key twists in the film is when members of the Irish resistance movement ultimately sign a peace deal with Great Britain. However, this peace deal only will grant freedom to certain parts of Ireland. The decision as to whether to accept this treaty or not eventually divides the IRA. Teddy, for example, who was a militant IRA member and wished Damien to join, now decides to accept the treaty, seeing it as a valuable starting point for a future free Ireland. Teddy, therefore, becomes the one who wishes to compromise with the British. Damien, however, who at the outset did not want to join the IRA, has now become militant and refuses to accept the treaty. This is a twist in ethical perspectives: before Teddy was the radical, and now it is Damien who is the radical. It is this twist which also puts a tension in their friendship: are loyalty to a friend and family member or to an idea more important? This is one of the key ethical considerations of the film.
This ethical tension between Teddy and Damien explodes at the end of the film. Those in control of the Irish resistance movement accept the deal with the British: Teddy is part of this group. Some IRA members, however, such as Damien decide to reject this treaty, which puts them into conflict with their former Irish allies. At the end of the film, Damien who has now become a militant, is imprisoned by the new Irish government. Damien feels that they have betrayed the ideal of a completely free Ireland. Damien is eventually captured by the Irish authorities, of which Teddy is a part. Teddy wants Damien to reveal key IRA strategic positions, but Damien refuses. This means that Damien will have to be put to death. This is obviously a devastating ethical dilemma for Teddy: he must now kill his own brother according to the law. His bond of family and friendship is now challenged by his allegiance to the government, while Damien’s loyalty is to the IRA. This leads to Damien eventually being executed, since he does not reveal the information that would save his life.
One of the key ethical considerations of the film is therefore the challenge between family and an idea: which is more important, which is more essential to life? It seems that in the end both Teddy and Damien have chosen a political idea over family. While this may seem cruel, it also means that the human being possesses lofty ideas and can be motivated by greater causes. The film forces us therefore to think through the deep ethical problems that emerge when personal relationships are entangled with greater ideals.
