“I met a woman. She said that she is Belfast, the city in Northern Ireland where I grew up. The woman said that she’s as old as the city,” says Mark Cousins at the beginning of his poetic dialogue with the personification of Belfast. He continues: “As she talked, I got drawn in. She had a way of seeing. A way of talking and hoping. So I listened...” The Northern Irish director sets out on a meditative journey through his hometown, fully aware that Belfast resists easy interpretation because first impressions so often prove false. David Holmes’ haunting score and the creative contribution from world-renowned DOP Christopher Doyle (Fallen Angels, In the Mood for Love, Hero, Ondine) assist the director in deftly shedding his own parameters for the classic documentary, this time in favor of magical realism. The result is a cinematic melting pot blending reality with dreams, hallucinations, myths, and the tales of grandmothers – a must-see work for fans of Cousins’ intuitive approach to filmmaking.