In his fifth foray into fiction, Steve McQueen moves further into the mainstream with a period drama about life under fire that recalls classic British wartime cinema of the 1940s. Forced to relocate to the countryside by his widowed mother (Saoirse Ronan) during the Blitz, a nine-year old boy (the irresistible Elliott Heffernan) makes a harrowing journey across war-torn London to get home. A series of challenging encounters with people across different social classes teaches the boy, who is struggling with his own biracial identity, to better appreciate who he is. Touching lightly on issues of racism, antisemitism, and female empowerment that he’s explored more directly in his previous work—and featuring memorable set pieces like a ferocious firefight and a macabre nightclub sequence—McQueen’s visually arresting, Dickensian epic is his most classical, audience-friendly film to date.
Blitz. 2024. UK. Written and directed by Steve McQueen. With Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Harris Dickinson. DCP courtesy Apple. 120 min.
Tickets
$10 Hammer members | $20 general admission
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ATTENDING THIS PROGRAM?
Ticketing: Limit 2 tickets per customer. Your seat(s) will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket(s) at the box office. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. No late seating; any unclaimed tickets will be released at 7:20 p.m. No refunds and no exchanges. Post-screening guests are subject to change.
Member Benefit: Subject to availability, Hammer Members can choose their preferred seats. Members receive priority ticketing until 15 minutes before the program. Learn more about membership.
Parking: Valet parking is available on Lindbrook Drive for $15 cash only. Self-parking is available under the museum. Rates are $8 for the first three hours with museum validation, and $3 for each additional 20 minutes, with a $22 daily maximum. There is an $8 flat rate after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
Press: If you are a member of the press and are interested in attending and covering the program, please email the Hammer’s Senior PR Manager, Santiago Pazos, at spazos@hammer.ucla.edu for accommodations.