Daelyn Lizzy’s review published on Letterboxd:
The thing about this film is that it achieved what art is meant to do: it piqued my interest and made me want to learn more. Instead of just accepting what the video presented me, I decided to research Ireland's history. I started reading about these courageous men and women who battled for the right to perform something as basic as sing a political song. "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" is a lovely film; it shows us the gorgeous Irish scenery that we expect to see since vacation brochures have long promised a verdant Ireland. It also provides us with the actual dramatization of life, for what is life but a series of choices? This film is about making decisions. And yet, in the United States, we've assumed we had the liberties these people fought for (whether we had or not is questionable), and I wonder how many of us would fight if those freedoms were taken away. This isn't only a film about Ireland's history; it's about what heroic folks will give up for their future, for the future of their country. Watch this film as a starting point for learning more about Ireland. Watch this film if you want to be inspired. And if you want to see a movie for its entertainment value (which is OK, especially in these terrible times), don't watch this one because it will stick with you, seed your mind, like those pieces of ripe grain when the wind passed over the barley field, allowing the ripest portions to develop.