1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
Scene Map 60
# PG SLUGLINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
Scene Map
60
# PG SLUGLINE
1
1 EXT. BELFAST EARLY MORNING 1 Dawn in the Northern Sky. We hear Van Morrison start to play. DOWN TO JOY. Samson and Goliath, two massive cranes dominate the shipyard and the city. The waters of the loch frame the mighty harbour. The town unfolds itself in image after image of river and road, mountain and monument,
2
4 EXT. BACK ENTRY DAY 4 MOIRA appears at the top of the Entry. MOIRA Hey Buddy! A boy slowly turns. He carries a primitive home-made wooden sword held aloft in one
3
6 INT. BUDDY’S HOUSE DAY 6 BUDDY dragged through the hall, shoved under the dinner table. MA Keep your head down and don’t move. MA rushes to the door.
4
13 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 13 A vicious bacchanal. Faces contorted. More houses marked with the iron grenades. Chants and warnings. Cars kicked, mirrors twisted. Youths jumping, yelling. Hysteria and mayhem. MICKEY CLANTON steps out, with DARLENE & FANCY CLANTON and calls down the street.
5
19 EXT. TV REPAIR SHOP DAY 19 A TV repair shop has multiple television sets switched on in the window display. TV REPORTER (V.O.) --this morning as the impact of last night’s rioting was all too clear. Small numbers of catholics still peacefully
6
21 INT. BUDDY’S HOUSE DAY 21 MA watches the television news describing the intensification of hostilities. Disturbing pictures and commentary from a war zone. TV NEWS ‘ULSTER ON THE BRINK’, TV REPORTER (V.O.) The likeliest move is to bring troops into Belfast in hope
7
25 EXT. GRANNY'S STREET LATER 25 The street is deserted. WILLIAM SHATNER (V.O.) Space. The final frontier... 26 INT. GRANNY’S HOUSE DAY 26
8
28 INT. BUDDY’S HOUSE DAY 28 The TV is on in the living room. Two women are being interviewed. TV EYE WITNESS 1 Oh yes, we’re friends on the protestant side. TV EYE WITNESS 2
9
29 EXT. PROTESTANT CHURCH EVENING 29 A grand forbidding, modern Gothic exterior. PA (V.O.) I’ve nothin against Catholics...but its a religion of fear. 30 INT. PROTESTANT CHURCH EVENING 30
10
31 EXT. CITYSCAPE NIGHT 31 Helicopter searchlights. 32 EXT. STREET NIGHT 32 Helicopters shine floodlights. Vigilantes patrol with torches in their hands. 33 INT. BUDDY’S BEDROOM NIGHT 33
11
36 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 36 Visiting family members arriving and having to go through the ‘checkpoint’ at the barricade. SOLDIER Make an orderly queue to be allowed entrance to the street please.
12
38 EXT. BUDDY’S BACKYARD DAY 38 The sound of shouting, singing, talking, drinking squash and eating cake drifts in from the folk inside the house and out on the street at the front. The back door to the Entry is open. Some of them are out there playing football. BUDDY and self-styled Tomboy, MOIRA are carving and shaping wooden hand catapults by the back door.
13
39 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 39 PA is telling a joke to the crowd. PA ...so the Doctor says, ‘Listen John I got some bad news, and worse.”
14
41 EXT. BACK ENTRY LATER 41 A Football game in progress. BUDDY ......and Blanchflower now at the halfway line. He looks up, is there nothin this Spurs right half cannot
15
43 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 43 All the Aunties, Uncles and Cousins leave the party. PA Buddy give your brother a hand, will you? PA tries to move the sofa away from their front door, but it’s too heavy.
16
45 INT. CINEMA EVENING 45 An explosion of lava on the screen - One Million Years B.C. FILM COMMENTATOR (V.O.) This is a story of a long, long ago. When the world was just beginning. A young world. A world early in the
17
48 INT. BATHROOM NIGHT 48 The wee small hours. BUDDY sits on the loo, struggling. His exercise book in his hands. He’s looking at his drawing of the two roads. BUDDY What road do I take?
18
50 EXT. CLOUDS BREAKING UP OVER THE CITY DAWN 50 51 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET MORNING 51 Soldiers patrol the barricade, kids make their way to school. KIDS (O.S.) Come on get a move on. We’re gonna be late again!
19
53 EXT. GROVE PARK DAY 53 BUDDY runs through some high grass. 54 EXT. SCHOOL GATES DAY 54 He reaches the school gates. The school bells ring.
20
56 EXT / INT. GRANNY'S HOUSE DAY 56 BUDDY is out in the backyard where his POP is, (as always), tinkering, in his ad hoc workshop, with a saddle BUDDY is sitting on the closed loo seat with an orange in his hands. POP
21
60 INT. BUDDY’S BEDROOM NIGHT 60 3am, BUDDY is wide awake sitting by the window. BUDDY (whispers) Will...Will...what road do we take? I can’t remember.
22
63 EXT. BUDDY'S STREET DAY 63 Life back to normal. 64 INT. BUDDY'S HOUSE DAY 64 Early morning and another tax envelope arrives. BUDDY, WILL and MA are having breakfast.
23
66 EXT. GROVE PARK RAILINGS / CONCRETE AND GRASS DAY 66 BUDDY and MOIRA walk. MOIRA Why is your dad not coming home? He shrugs.
24
69 INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM DAY 69 CATHERINE and BUDDY exchange looks. MUSIC - “Warm Love” by Van Morrison 70 EXT. FRONT OF BUDDY’S HOUSE DAY 70 MA sits, with her back leaning against the wall, having a cup of tea. A breath.
25
76 EXT. MOON OVER BELFAST NIGHT 76 77 EXT. BUDDY’S HOUSE NIGHT 77 Helicopters shine floodlights on the streets. The Vigilantes look to the skies. LIBERTY VALANCE/LEE MARVIN (O.S.) You lookin’ for trouble Donophin?
26
79 EXT. BUDDY'S STREET DAWN 79 Vigilantes on the Barricade. Milkman arrives. MAN IN THE STREET Right that’s 6am Fellas. That’s you’s done. 80 INT. BUDDY’S HOUSE/HALL MORNING 80
27
84 INT. GRANNY'S HOUSE DAY 84 GRANNY is reading ‘The Peoples Friend”, a popular religious-y journal. POP is reading the newspaper. POP When’s yer next chance?
28
85 EXT. GROVE PARK DAY 85 BUDDY picks some flowers. 86 EXT. SCHOOL DAY 86 Pupils pouring out of school. CATHERINE is walking past. BUDDY is waiting and offers a small bunch of flowers to her. She takes them.
29
88 EXT. SWEET SHOP DAY MOMENTS LATER 88 BUDDY, MOIRA and MOIRA’S FRIEND walk in. MOIRA (O.S.) Hello Mister Singh. BUDDY (O.S.)
30
89 EXT. STREET DAY 89 BUDDY and MOIRA slow down, almost hyperventilating, and as if they might throw up, but still moving on up the street just in case. BUDDY She’s gonna tell on us!
31
90 EXT. BUDDY'S HOUSE DAY 90 BUDDY runs up to his house. PA (O.S.) When did you write to them? He slows down, exhausted, and drops the Turkish Delight.
32
92 EXT. ALLEYWAY / GRANNY’S HOUSE DAY 92 BUDDY, PA, POP and GRANNY walk side by side. POP Yer work won’t be pleased with you skippin’ off in the week.
33
93 EXT. GROVE PARK DAY 93 Father and son walk back to the school. BUDDY My Granny’s always worried about somethin, isn’t she?
34
95 EXT. BUDDY'S STREET CORNER DAY 95 Kids drawing on a wall MAN IN THE STREET There’s Peeler’s about. Watch it yous two. POLICEMAN knocks on BUDDY’s door.
35
100 INT. BUDDY'S HOUSE NIGHT 100 BUDDY watches HIGH NOON on the television. AMY FOWLER-KANE/GRACE KELLY No, I won’t be here when it’s over. You’re asking me to wait an hour to find out if I’m going to be a wife or a
36
102 EXT. MAIN STREET / BUDDY'S STREET DAY 102 PA comes out of an alley. He plays with a group of kids. PA Hey, pass the ball. He throws the ball in the air.
37
103 INT. BUDDY'S HOUSE DAY 103 BUDDY and WILL are in the living room playing. The TV is on, but they’re not watching. TV REPORTER (V.O.) The prize capture was a tanker laden with two and half thousand gallons of petrol. They’d also taken dozens of
38
105 INT. BUDDY'S HOUSE DAY 105 MA is on the sofa, reading the ‘Sydney’ Brochure and listening to the radio. RADIO REPORTER (V.O.) ...amid more city-wide violence overnight, government figures issued today reveal that Northern Ireland now
39
106 EXT. GROVE PARK DAY 106 Friday afternoon. After school. After work. The family and MOIRA are in the park. Playing netball and throwing pitches, jumping in the sandpit. MUSIC - “Day’s Like These” by Van Morrison WILL has a ball balanced on his head.
40
107 EXT. BUDDY’S HOUSE EVENING 107 The large family group draped around the house continues the festivities. MACKIE and others are saying cheerio to PA like he’s going to war. VIOLET is singing ‘Danny Boy’. WILL is talking with his peers. PA
41
109 INT. GRANNY’S HOUSE END OF DAY 109 GRANNY and POP sit by the window. Cup of tea. POP Everybody’s leavin’ home. GRANNY
42
110 EXT. BUS STOP SUNSET 110 BUDDY waiting outside the bus. He is aware that MA and PA are having a moment in the parked number 42 Bus BUS DRIVER (O.S.) Aldergrove bus is going in three minutes. Last tickets
43
111 EXT. RAIN CLOUDS OVER BELFAST DAY 111 112 EXT. WHITEABBEY HOSPITAL DAY 112 The road up to the Hospital with the sea beyond. Nurses walking to work. 113 INT. WHITEABBEY HOSPITAL DAY 113
44
115 INT. WHITEABBEY HOSPITAL DAY 115 POP Aye, well that puts me in mind of a great wee system we had in the old days for paying the rent. The rent man would come round and collect the
45
116 EXT. GROVE THEATRE EVENING 116 The theatre marquee shows A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS, STARRING JOSEPH TOMELTY as MARLEY’S GHOST. GEORGE MALPAS as SCROOGE. MARLEY’S GHOST (V.O.) Hear me!
46
118 INT. BUS NIGHT 118 GRANNY and BUDDY stare out of the Bus. Belfast at night. BUDDY When will Pop get out of the hospital? GRANNY
47
119 INT. CINEMA EVENING 119 On the screen in colour CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG racing towards a rocky shore, then the whole family seems to be falling forward and yelling as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang careers over a cliff on the massive cinema screen. The entire family grabs each others arms, leans forward with the rest of the packed audience, and yells. GRANNY loudest of all.
48
122 EXT. BELFAST CHRISTMAS IN THE RAIN DAY 122 123 INT. BUDDY’S HOUSE LIVING ROOM NIGHT 123 BUDDY is fast asleep on the sofa. A tear stained face. Chocolate marks all around his mouth, the chocolate selection box on his lap. His brother asleep beside him, a Manchester United Annual on his lap. MA and PA finish clearing the room up of wrapping paper and
49
124 EXT. BUDDY'S STREET EARLY MORNING 124 PA comes out of the house and looks up. BUDDY is at the window. MUSIC - “Carrick Fergus” by Van Morrison PA Go to sleep. I see you in two weeks.
50
130 INT. SUPERMARKET DAY 130 On the TV mounted on the wall TV REPORTER (V.O.) Now the government are proposing to rebuild this street, but there are increased tensions in the city
51
133 EXT. STREET DAY 133 Father and son walk down the road, stopping at the end of Granny’s Street. PA Now, you wait at your Granny’s and I’ll pick you up when I’ve come back from seein’ my Father, ok son?
52
137 EXT. MAIN ROAD DAY 137 BUDDY tries to turn back. BUDDY I’m going home! I’m going home! MOIRA
53
139 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 139 Almost home. Racing down the street towards his house. Neighbour’s look. He gets to his house, bangs on the door. BUDDY Mammy! Mammy!
54
141 EXT. SUPERMARKET / MAIN STREET DAY 141 BILLY CLANTON directs the party of three onto the main street. There are far fewer rioters now, as the army with riot-shields lines up at each end of the street. BILLY CLANTON has a hand gun. PA and WILL appear at the other end of the street.
55
142 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 142 An armoured car comes down the street. The family are inside it. Neighbours amazed. 143 INT. BUDDY'S HOUSE DAY 143 Silence. The three males sit dazed on the sofa. In front of them, the packet of OMO, now with a bullet hole in it. MA comes into the room.
56
145 EXT. SCHOOL RALLINGS/RAIN DAY 145 146 INT. CLASSROOM DAY 146 The Moon project is leaning up against the blackboard, the results are being called. MISS LEWIS (O.S.) And now to announce the winners of our school
57
150 EXT. BUDDY’S STREET DAY 150 BUDDY runs, and runs and runs with all his heart. 151 EXT. SPORTSMAN BAR DAY 151 BUDDY waiting outside, upset. A man is about to walk in. KIND MAN
58
155 INT. GRANNY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM DAY 155 BUDDY That was a lot of people that came to see him today. PA Aye. He was very popular.
59
157 INT. WEE CLUB EVENING 157 The wake, the farewell party, the last family ‘do’. Dancing, singing, children running everywhere, drink and sandwiches. LOVE AFFAIR kicks in with the stirring intro to EVERLASTING LOVE. PA grabs the mic, the dance floor clears to leave MA there, dancing alone as the crowd dances at the side, and
60
162 EXT. CATHERINE’S STREET EARLY MORNING 162 PA waits on the other side of the road. CATHERINE’S MOTHER opens the front door. CATHERINE’S MOTHER Hi Buddy. BUDDY

Belfast

In 1960s Belfast, a young boy named Buddy navigates the tumultuous events of the Troubles and the decision to leave his beloved hometown, as his family grapples with the impact of the conflict on their lives.

See other logline suggestions

Overview

Poster
Unique Selling Point

The unique selling proposition of 'Belfast' lies in its ability to blend personal and political narratives through the eyes of a child. It offers a fresh perspective on historical events, making it relatable to contemporary audiences while preserving the authenticity of its setting. The screenplay's use of music, particularly Van Morrison's songs, adds a nostalgic layer that resonates with viewers, enhancing its emotional impact.

AI Verdict & Suggestions

Ratings are subjective. So you get different engines' ratings to compare.

Hover over verdict cards for Executive Summaries

Claude
 Recommend
Gemini
 Highly Recommend
GPT4
 Highly Recommend
Story Facts
Genres:
Drama 50% War 30% Comedy 15% Romance 10%

Setting: Late 1960s to early 1970s, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Themes: Family Resilience and Love, The Impact of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Economic Hardship and Social Inequality, Religious Conflict and Sectarianism, Coming-of-Age and Identity, Love, Loss, and Forgiveness

Conflict & Stakes: The primary conflict revolves around Buddy's struggle to maintain his childhood innocence amidst the violent backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, with the stakes being the safety and unity of his family.

Mood: Bittersweet and nostalgic, with moments of humor and tension.

Standout Features:

  • Unique Hook: The story is told through the eyes of a child, providing a fresh perspective on the impact of social unrest.
  • Major Twist: The transition from childhood innocence to the harsh realities of violence and conflict, culminating in Buddy's forced involvement in a riot.
  • Distinctive Setting: The backdrop of Belfast during the Troubles adds historical significance and emotional weight to the narrative.
  • Innovative Ideas: The screenplay blends humor and drama, creating a balance that highlights the absurdity of life amidst chaos.
  • Unique Characters: A diverse cast that represents various facets of the community, each contributing to Buddy's understanding of the world.

Comparable Scripts: The Troubles, Brooklyn, The Commitments, Atonement, The Book Thief, The Secret Garden, This Is England, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Script Level Analysis

Writer Exec

This section delivers a top-level assessment of the screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses — covering overall quality (P/C/R/HR), character development, emotional impact, thematic depth, narrative inconsistencies, and the story’s core philosophical conflict. It helps identify what’s resonating, what needs refinement, and how the script aligns with professional standards.

Screenplay Insights

Breaks down your script along various categories.

Overall Score: 8.25
Story Critique
Big-picture feedback on the story’s clarity, stakes, cohesion, and engagement.
Characters

Explores the depth, clarity, and arc of the main and supporting characters.

Emotional Analysis

Breaks down the emotional journey of the audience across the script.

Goals and Philosophical Conflict
Evaluates character motivations, obstacles, and sources of tension throughout the plot.
Themes
Analysis of the themes of the screenplay and how well they’re expressed.
Logic & Inconsistencies
Highlights any contradictions, plot holes, or logic gaps that may confuse viewers.

Scene Analysis

All of your scenes analyzed individually and compared, so you can zero in on what to improve.

Scene-Level Percentile Chart
Hover over the graph to see more details about each score.
Go to Scene Analysis

Other Analyses

Writer Exec

This section looks at the extra spark — your story’s voice, style, world, and the moments that really stick. These insights might not change the bones of the script, but they can make it more original, more immersive, and way more memorable. It’s where things get fun, weird, and wonderfully you.

Unique Voice
Assesses the distinctiveness and personality of the writer's voice.
Writer's Craft
Analyzes the writing to help the writer be aware of their skill and improve.
Memorable Lines
Spotlights standout dialogue lines with emotional or thematic power.
Tropes
Highlights common or genre-specific tropes found in the script.
World Building
Evaluates the depth, consistency, and immersion of the story's world.
Correlations
Identifies patterns in scene scores.
Loglines
Presents logline variations based on theme, genre, and hook.