Were Saoirse Ronan’s Rita & Her Son, George, Real People? Blitz’s Inspiration Explained

This article contains spoilers for Blitz.

Telling the story of a mother and son separated during a World War II bombing in Britain, Blitz takes inspiration from real-life events to offer a gut-wrenching portrait of the war as it was experienced by civilians. Leading the Blitz cast are actress Saoirse Ronan and young talent Elliott Heffernan, whose tender performance will have you rooting for their reunion. As the city’s children are sent to the countryside to be away from the bombings, George’s innocence blinds him to the gravity of the situation, and he embarks on a dangerous journey to return home.

Although early reviews for Blitz are mixed, Steve McQueen’s movie stands out for presenting a nuanced piece of history told from the unusual perspective of a nine-year-old black boy. Notably, of the best 2024 war movies, Blitz is the only one to explore racial conflicts amidst national struggles. George’s reluctance to join the rest of the kids in the countryside, although naive, is sustained by his alienated status among his peers. McQueen took inspiration from real war events to portray the coming-of-age quest of a mother and son searching for each other.

Blitz’s George Was Inspired By A Young Boy In A Photograph Found By Director Steve McQueen

With Blitz, McQueen Was Interested In Depicting The Boy’s Experience During War

While working on Small Axe, Steve McQueen came across a 1940s photograph of a black boy wearing a big coat and carrying a suitcase as he prepared to evacuate from London (via Los Angeles Times). The child was part of over 800,000 children who were transported out of the U.K. during the German air raids. Immediately, the 12 Years of Slave director wanted to know more, “Who was he, what was his story, we need to see the war through his eyes. What was it like for him?” (via The Guardian).

Although the real boy remains unidentified, McQueen gave him a story with the character of George. As a son of West Indian immigrants, the director became interested in knowing what the little mixed-race boy’s family and close community endured before and during the war. Accordingly, Blitz maps a series of micro-stories that reveal the war adventures and misfortunes of factory workers, thieves, overcrowded shelters, immigrants, and children. In fleeting but poignant interactions, George witnesses the best and worst of humanity, and through everything, he finds himself.

How The Real WW2 Bombing Inspired Blitz’s Fictional Characters

Blitz Pulls Inspiration From Documented But Ignored Civilian Tragedies And Hardships

In September 1940 and May 1941, the German Air Force executed a bombing campaign against British cities that resulted in more than 43,500 deaths. The event was named The Blitz, which translates to “lighting war.” The attack provoked a series of disasters that also allowed all kinds of abuse that went unnoticed, and which served as inspiration for Blitz. The tragedies were experienced by civilians of all backgrounds, who were merely trying to survive amidst the palpable and approaching threat.

Joining Saoirse Ronan’s best movies, in Blitz, the actress gives voice to the brave women who sent their children away and risked their lives working in factories despite bombing alerts. In a key scene, Rita protests for the opening of underground shelters. However, the director is determined to demonstrate that, in war, no place is safe. The movie features a shocking incident in a London subway station that people use for shelter. When a bomb hits the city, a water pipe breaks, causing the place to flood. The sequence emulates two real subway tragedies that occurred during the war (via Biography).

Among the most harrowing events depicted in Blitz are the stories of three siblings who refuse to be separated, a young and heroic Nigerian soldier, and a band of cruel robbers who defile dead bodies in search of their riches. All of these characters, if maybe aren’t specifically based on real people, pull inspiration from actual lived experiences in the war that have been easy to bury against the larger narratives focusing on battle or the political celebrities at the forefront of the conflict. McQueen represents how civilian people were affected during the Blitz, especially minorities and children.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Biography