REVIEW“Set in mid-1950s Australia, with the fear of communism in the air, Ann Turner's refreshingly unsentimental debut feature depicts a long hot summer seen through the eyes and over-active imagination of nine-year-old Celia. Shaken by the death of her beloved grandmother, Celia finds herself adrift between the cruel games and rituals of childhood and the incomprehensible world of grown-ups. With monstrous creatures stalking her dreams by night, those imagined terrors blur by day with the banal brutality of the adult world and lead to tragic and shocking consequences. This dark fable of childhood's end ranks alongside Lord of the Flies, The 400 Blows, Stand By Me and Pan’s Labyrinth.”
— Second Run “Several of the greatest films about childhood are directorial debuts, with young directors harvesting their own youthful experiences for inspiration. To Pather Panchali, Les Quatre Cents Coups, L’Enfance-nue and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Ivan’s Childhood (1962) must be added Celia, Ann Turner’s startling first feature from 1989… her debut continues to haunt those who track it down.” – Samuel Wigley, BFI |
FILM SOCIETY SCREENINGSHamilton
Monday, 13 March, 6.30pm Tauranga Tuesday, 21 March, 6.00pm Auckland Monday, 03 April, 6.15pm Nelson Tuesday, 09 May, 6.00pm Dunedin Wednesday, 17 May, 7.30pm Wellington Monday, 24 July, 6:15pm Canterbury Monday, 31 July, 7.00pm Whanganui Monday, 28 August, 7.00pm Palmerston North Wednesday, 08 November, 6.00pm |