How was the vivid sense of reality that overwhelmed everyone who watched Bloody Sunday created?

Actors and extras simply live in the moment

Meanwhile, James Nesbitt, who played a civil rights leader, led the march while being overwhelmed by the huge atmosphere created by the extras. Even he couldn't keep track of what was happening at the edge of the large group. Therefore, you can see him looking back anxiously every time he heard a sound or heard a cheer somewhere. In part, the main actor also embodied the fateful day while giving in to the situation.

Greengrass also devised a way to get realistic reactions from the actors playing the gun-wielding soldiers. They knew the general flow of the shoot, but had no idea what would happen along the way. So he had them react immediately to the sounds coming from speakers set up on the walls.

"Bloody Sunday" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Furthermore, listening to the DVD's audio commentary, one can hear Greenglass's deep commitment to his direction. He was thorough in not placing the responsibility of telling a story on the actors. Their performances must not become explanatory, nor must they merely "stand in a designated place and say pre-determined lines." What is required of the performers is to immerse themselves in the situation and simply live in the "moment."

Indeed, I think this is the essence of Paul Greengrass' films, which are connected to his later works such as " The Bourne Supremacy " and " United 93 " (2006). There are always vivid situations, and the camera, without even the slightest bit of foresight about what the future holds, simply follows the movements of the characters, updating the "now."

It is precisely because these filmmaking techniques are so thorough that we, the viewers, cannot remain mere bystanders; before we know it, we find ourselves standing at the same perspective as the characters, immersed in a world of rich realism.

Greengrass had this methodology all too well established by his early work on Bloody Sunday.

A masterpiece that continues to resonate even after the end credits