Genres

Visitors Review

Lee Eisenberg 2012-05-20 11:26:41

the rabbit-proof fence didn't work

In summer, 2003, I took a class about Australian cinema. We watchedfilms like "Walkabout", "Gallipoli" and "Rabbit-Proof Fence"; it mighthave thrown a wrench in the works had we watched "Celia". At thevideo/DVD store, I found it under the horror section, but it's only ahorror flick in the loosest terms. The movie deals with a nine-year-oldgirl (Rebecca Smart) in 1950s Australia whose amorality and alienationfrom society drive her to complete madness; I think that that was theplot. Certainly it's ugly what Celia does, but seeing what the adultsaround her are like, I felt that I had no choice except to root forCelia.The historical context involves the Cold War and the government'sefforts to stop the rabbit infestation. As people tell Celia not tofraternize with children of communists, she grows more and moredisenchanted with the world around her - after all, friends aresupposed to be friends no matter what the parents' political activity.But when a cop takes away her pet rabbit, she really gets nasty (italso shows that the rabbit-proof fence that lent its name to the 2002movie clearly didn't work in holding back the leporid plague).So how to interpret this movie? It looks at face value like one of themany instances of a seemingly cute girl having a not so cute side(think "The Bad Seed"). One might say that the rabbits play a rolesimilar to the ones in "Night of the Lepus" and "Donnie Darko", eventhough Celia's rabbit doesn't do anything. I guess that it's worthseeing, if only once.

ian_ison 2012-05-19 17:35:44

Portrait of Innocence in a world ruled by those who 'know better'

Firstly, this story is set in Victoria - not South Australia - as canbe demonstrated from the name of the state Premier, Sir Henry Bolte.Next, the children aren't playing in a desert, but rather the localabandoned industrial sandpit. It is her dead grandmother who had been acommunist rather than her parents who are opposed and working hard atcutting all ties - including burning gran's library and banning Celiafrom playing with the kids of their 'Commie' new neighbours.The rather bizarre choice of storybook read to the class by theirteacher and which has Celia enthralled by its demonic 'hobbyars' is "ASweet Obscurity" by Patrick Gale. Ultimately, her confusion between herterrified obsession with these monsters of the dark and the real worldin which she must do battle with the "Powers That Be" trying tooppress, corrupt and destroy everything she loves - her memories of hercommunist grandmother, her friends next door, her pet rabbit,Murgatroyd - lead to her own mini-revolution and act of murder and theequally riveting scene where she terrorises the only witness (aweak-willed playmate) into lifelong silence.The story is in many respects so 'strange' as to seem based in reality- almost as if the author is making a confession about a crime inchildish innocence committed as Celia. I don't know that I wanted thestory to end in any way on a light-hearted note. The tragedy seemedlikely to leave a lasting hole in several lives - unlikely to bereparable by a kiss or a hug.I recently found this movie as a throw-out sale item at the video storeand it rekindled memories of when I'd first seen it on TV.Unfortunately, the name is not memorable - a flaw the producers shouldbe warned of with any film the fans are likely to seek out. I had onlyvaguely remembered the 'hobbyars' as 'blue meanies' as in the Beatlesfilm 'Yellow Submarine' - which wasn't much help for a search. It isnot likely to be a widely available film even in Australia and if youhave a copy, then you're lucky.

lazarillo 2012-05-10 10:06:10

Good movie, but mis-categorized as a horror film

This strange little movie from the land Down Under is really twomovies, one of which definitely works, but the other not so much. Onone hand, it is a fairly realistic portrait of rural Australia in the1950's that was dealing with both a plague of rabbits and ofCommunists. In retrospect, the wild rabbits had a far better chance ofover-running conservative Australia than the commies, but the wars onboth these "plagues" were somewhat similar in that, as well-intentionedas they may have been, a lot of innocents were caught in the crossfire."Celia", the young heroine of this film, for instance, has recentlylost her Communist grandmother and loses her only friends due to theirparents ties to the Australian CP. The fateful blow,however, comes whenshe loses her beloved pet rabbit "Murgatroyd" to the authorities."Celia" is portrayed as having a rich fantasy life that leaves herdisturbed and even dangerously disconnected from reality (not unlikethe two young girls in the later Peter Jackson kiwi film "HeavenlyCreatures"). However, the movie does not focus on this dark fantasyaspect nearly enough, and "Celia" is portrayed as a rather ordinaryand, moreover, very sympathetic young girl, which makes the one sceneof real-life violence that occurs (actually, it is left a littleambiguous) not very believable. It also doesn't help, as others havesaid, that in America they seized on the under-developed andunbelievable aspects by trying to market this as a horror movie. Thisis not quite as good as Peter Weir's famous Aussie film "Picnic atHanging Rock", but like that movie it has been mis-categorized as ahorror movie, and no doubt will disappoint fans of gory, visceralhorror, while scaring away a lot of the foreign/art-film enthusiaststhat might enjoy it. I actually like both horror and art films, butthis is definitely mostly the latter. It would make a good double billwith "Picnic" or "Heavenly Creatures"--or, even better, the weird1970's indie American film "The Orphan".It is definitely very well made and the acting is excellent, especiallythe young Rebecca Smart (child actors in Commonwealth always seem to befar, far better actors than the cloying, "adorable" moppets Hollywoodalways insists on casting in their saccharine kiddie crap). Check itout if you get a chance.

MargaretF 2012-05-10 01:27:48

Grrr.

Anyone who rates this movie low, I don't think they are mature enough to understand it. There are many different ways to look at this movie after watching it. Its so strange, that its good. Its about this girl, who has some issues and she kills this girls father but she has a hard time doing it, so she imagines the girls father is some evil creature. And at the end, she fools us all. And is so nice to that girl who lost her fathers. Its an act of like "I killed him and no one will ever find out" type of thing. And I thought it was really cute the games the kids play. Once again, there are many different ways to look at this movie. Its strange.

Saima 2012-05-02 05:40:26

Childhood memories

I'm currently scannin' through horror films at Yahoo movies and now reading the review ,it reminds me that i've seen this one when i was about 6 or 7.And all i can remember about this movie is that it gave me really bad and disturbing feeling for days after watching it. I remember this feeling even now and all i can say about the storyline is that it's very psychological movie and there's some true to the way the girl reacts to the deeds she has done. Even undisturbed and "normal" people react the same way to the unpleasant situations and acts , by altering the reality to make it more suitable for themselves. However i recommend this film to people who are not looking for film that gives you thinking material and chills :)

Heather Middleton 2012-05-01 20:16:57

Lord of the Flies for girls

It is with a heavy heart that I note Celia, possibly my favourite film, isnow being marketed with a tacky subtitle. This film is comparable to JaneCampion's work and is anything but a straight horror film, with a subtlecharacterisation and a compassionate yet unsentimental picture ofchildhoodnot generally associated with that genre. The narrative viewpoint is wellsustained, with the grownup world of barbecues, blacklists, and affairsobserved from a child's angle. The horror in question is in Celia'simagination, which, like that of all children, plays out the stresses ofherown family and her culture. Various plagues - literal and metaphoric -impinge on her world, from myxomatosis to communism. Fans of blood andgorewill be disappointed. The film is an unhurried portrait of 50s Australia,the pressure to conform, childhood, death. Its climax is sharp and bloodybut logical; as is the lightness of the ending. As a touchstone, think ofthe daughter in the Piano, with her outrageous storybook lies, herspontaneity, her hurt rebellion, and her ultimate childishness. Just don'tthink Carrie. This is gem of a film, and let's face it, Hollywood churnsouta lot of disappointing ones. As soon as you see the opening titles withRebecca Smart's expressive face glancing all around her, while the thememusic plays, you'll realise you're in the hands of a very talenteddirector.