Australia's film industry has been around for donkey's years, and even contributed to some of the medium's big firsts. Move over Hollywood, it was Australia who beat you to the world's first narrative feature film! But despite all this, our cinema is still young in many ways, which can be seen in our classic films, some of which are younger than I am! This doesn't make them any less impactful though, as can be seen with The Castle...
Darryl Kerrigan lives at 3 Highview Crescent with his family, living an idyllic life. He works with his grown children, he breeds greyhounds, helps his neighbours out, and above all enjoys the sound of the planes going by. This tranquility is shattered when the government comes knocking, with a notice of eviction. Sure of his rights and determined to fight back, Darryl and his family are ready to give a fight that won't soon be forgotten...
The Castle is surprisingly recent, yet feels like it's been around forever. It's sweet, funny, heartwarming, and a really good portrait of Aussie life. The plot is a universal one, of government and corporate greed trying to squash the little man, and how we fight back.
The first half of the film focuses predominately on the general family life of the Kerrigans, from their day to day routines, personalities, foibles, and even what they get up to on their annual vacations. All of this works wonders to inform us of who they are, and so when the second half begins the misfortune, we really empathise with them. The drama would have already been reasonably effective, but it hits even harder when we get to know the characters so well.
There's an effective mix of comedy and drama. The film will have you pissing yourself laughing at the dialogue, characters, or visual moments, then later it will give a gut-punch of drama. One complements the other really well, and it's never too much of either.
The Castle is endlessly quotable, and just about half the script has entered Aussie lingo. From "How's the serenity", to "Tell him he's dreaming", and "That's going straight to the pool room!", among others.
A story like this hinges on a strong cast of characters, and the film obliges. It's lauded as a great portrayal of your typical Aussie bloke. The people here aren't necessarily the biggest successes, and they might be a bit slow or on the poorer side, but are no less noble or friendly.
The cast includes family patriarch Darryl, a simple but goodhearted guy, with intuition and a nose for good prices. Then there's his simpleminded son Dale, his successful daughter, another boy who ended up in jail, his slightly incompetent lawyer, and his doting wife, with questionable pottery skills. There's a great communal feels to them all. The villains (mainly lawyers or enforcers of a faceless corporation) manage to come off as believably smarmy, and you feel like wiping those smug grins off their faces.
The Castle shows off a nice side of Australia. The local streets of Melbourne are nice enough, even if these might be lower-market areas, and the scenery is great, especially the holiday retreat Bonnie Doon. The direction itself is really good too, with some perfectly framed shots.
The music is nice too, with a good original score, and some licensed music that fits in really well. The use of It's Only Just Begun really work, making an already happy ending all the sweeter.
The acting in The Castle is great all-round. Michael Caton is a perfect lead with lots of range to emote. Charles 'Bud' Tingwell is great in his surprisingly brief but very effective role, proving he still had it even in his twilight years.
Stephen Curry is another important actor, serving as the film's narrator, Dale. It's a tough performance to nail, since you've got to act like a total dope, but in a way that's not so dumb it gets ridiculous. Luckily he succeeds with flying colours. Wayne Hope delivers a good performance too, and despite being isolated from almost the entire cast, you really feel the connection between him and his family.
Eric Bana is good in one of his first serious roles, nailing an amusingly Greek and athletic-minded personality. The rest of the cast do very well, from Anne Tenney, to Sophie Lee, Tiriel Mora, Costas Kilias, and more.
The Castle comes highly recommended from me. It's my patriotic duty as an Australian to insist that everyone watch it. I promise you won't be disappointed...
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