Citadel (I) (2012)

An agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children who committed an act of violence against his family years earlier.

Director:

Ciaran Foy

Writer:

Ciaran Foy

Stars:

Aneurin Barnard, James Cosmo, Wunmi Mosaku

11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aneurin Barnard	...	Tommy
James Cosmo	...	Priest
Amy Shiels	...	Joanne
Wunmi Mosaku	...	Marie
Ian Hanmore	...	Council Office Clerk
Ingrid Craigie	...	Dr. Kelly
Jake Wilson	...	Danny
Chris Hegarty	...	Feral Child
Pete Murphy	...	Paramedic
Harry Saunders	...	Elsa
Sandra McFadden	...	Nurse
Scott Mckenzie	...	Paramedic / Doctor
Arlowe Saunders	...	Elsa
James Ramsay	...	Junkie Man
Elizabeth Brady	...	Nurse

Storyline

Tommy Cowley is a young father inflicted with chronic agoraphobia since his wife was brutally attacked by a gang of a twisted feral children. Trapped in the dilapidated suburbia of Edenstown, he finds himself terrorised by the same gang, who now seem intent on taking his baby daughter. Torn between the help of an understanding nurse and a vigilante priest, Tommy sets out to learn the nightmarish truth surrounding these hooded children. He also discovers that to be free of his fears, he must finally face the demons of his past and enter the one place that he fears the most - the abandoned tower block known as the Citadel.

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Plot Keywords:

fear | priest | baby | nurse | agoraphobia | 

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Taglines:

They see your fear

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Citadel - Wo das Böse wohnt

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blinder Films, Irish Film Board, Sigma Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The whole film was shot with a hand-held camera.

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Goofs

When Tommy leaves his home near the start of the film to take the baby to the centre, by his front door there is a phone base with no phone, when he returns later there is a phone in the cradle.

User Reviews

Urban horror about demonic youth – or is it!?

Tommy (Aneurin Barnard) is plagued by misfortune. His girlfriend is attacked and killed by gangster children in the common apartment. The case is dropped because of lack of evidence. Now he is alone with the raising of Elsa, the common baby, and forced to be brave, Tommy doesn't manage. Alone and isolated, he now lives in a shabby suburban flat and develops a fear that prevents him from leaving the house. But the demons of the past find him even there, breaking in and ravage the apartment. The kids, who killed his girlfriend, like Tommy says. And this time they're after Baby Elsa. Now time has come to fight the demons...

CITADEL, the debut of Irish director Ciaran Foy, reminds in many ways of the French Comet-Horror DEAD SHADOWS, but especially of the English movie HEARTLESS, mainly because of his Hoodie Monster. As a viewer you will be long kept in the dark about what these hoodie kids, who also remind of the Satankids from the "Come to Daddy"-Music Video by Aphex Twin, really are. Whether demons, zombies, possessed ones or simply but only dis-social behaving, aggression and violence as a way of life practicing youth from the lowest social class. Hard to say. The film will define that a little clearer, but it raises the question whether you take the showings at their word, or perhaps should lenses behind the facade of his imagery. Much of CITADEL's plot is metaphorical and worth of interpretation, as if one should not accept what is offered visually. Take the main character Tommy: a sissy, a crybaby, a weakling of superlatives. He has the word "sacrifice" literally written on his forehead. The few people, with whom Tommy maintains contact, doubt his version of the zombie children and that they have targeted Elsa. Much more logical it would be Tommy as an outsider and Wunderling stamped with mental h problems. Only a boorish priest - played by James Cosmo (Braveheart, Trainspotting) - Tommy helps to fight the personified evil. They both go to the crime scene from the past, a ruin-like high-rise complex, and deliver a showdown with the demonized kiddies.

CITADEL is not easy to watch, which actually may be an advantage, because it brings the brain to work. Offered are typical horror movie elements like shockers and an all-encompassing darkness, which destroys any lust for life. Taking Citadel and its plot literally, it is not the most satisfying horror movie. Recognizing its intuition and its therapeutic value, you'll find a very interesting piece of independent cinema.

Resume: Super dark urban horror of emotional cripples, personalized fears and demon kids. From the psychological point very interesting.