The wonderful young Rebecca Smart plays the title character, a nine year old growing up in the Australia of the late 1950s. Celia is imaginative and, unfortunately, unbalanced. She wants nothing so much as a pet rabbit, and yet the authorities have declared the species a pest. She enjoys playing with the children of the new next-door neighbors, and then her father (Nicholas Eadie) forbids her to play with them after they learn that the parents are members of the Communist party.
"Celia" is one of those gems that has somehow slipped through the cracks for the past 33 years; it's well worth seeing as it captures many of the facets of childhood, and how repeated traumas can send a kid over the edge. Strictly speaking, it's NOT really a horror film, as it might get promoted, although it certainly has creepy elements: Celia obsesses over creatures called "Hobyahs", which figure in a dark childrens' fable read to her in school. And sometimes she imagines seeing these creatures, also having nightmares about them.
Celia is a great character, but this viewer was not just sympathetic to her plight; the neighbors, too, are portrayed as real human beings with doubts and beliefs, and not cartoon bogeymen. Written and directed by Ann Turner, the film, at its best, is powerful and affecting, especially as it turns darker and darker towards the end. The finish is particularly disturbing.
The cast is excellent across the board, the music (by Chris Neal) is haunting, and overall "Celia" very efficiently depicts the realities of a specific place and time. It deserves exposure to a wider audience.
Eight out of 10.
"Celia" is one of those gems that has somehow slipped through the cracks for the past 33 years; it's well worth seeing as it captures many of the facets of childhood, and how repeated traumas can send a kid over the edge. Strictly speaking, it's NOT really a horror film, as it might get promoted, although it certainly has creepy elements: Celia obsesses over creatures called "Hobyahs", which figure in a dark childrens' fable read to her in school. And sometimes she imagines seeing these creatures, also having nightmares about them.
Celia is a great character, but this viewer was not just sympathetic to her plight; the neighbors, too, are portrayed as real human beings with doubts and beliefs, and not cartoon bogeymen. Written and directed by Ann Turner, the film, at its best, is powerful and affecting, especially as it turns darker and darker towards the end. The finish is particularly disturbing.
The cast is excellent across the board, the music (by Chris Neal) is haunting, and overall "Celia" very efficiently depicts the realities of a specific place and time. It deserves exposure to a wider audience.
Eight out of 10.