Director Steve McQueen talks about his new film “Blitz”

Director Steve McQueen’s films offer an unflinching look at complex subjects. In 2008, he headed Famine about the Irish hunger strike, shame (2011), which was a ruthless look at sexual addiction, and 12 years of slavery (2013) about a free black man sold into slavery before being freed again twelve years later. The latter film won several Oscars, including Best Picture.

McQueen’s latest film is a World War II drama blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan as a mother searching for her son in London after he is evacuated due to the bombing of the city. McQueen tells Treatment about wanting to emphasize the important role of women during the war, the connection between Ronan and Elliott Heffernan (who plays her son in blitz), as well as the film’s real and metaphorical explosions.

Elvis Mitchell and Steve McQueen on NPR West. Photo: Rebecca Mooney