Celia (1989)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ann Turner

Writer:

Ann Turner (writer)

Release Date:

18 May 1989 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

A tale of innocence corrupted.

Plot:

An imaginative and somewhat disturbed young girl fantasizes about evil creatures and other oddities to mask her insecurities while growing up in rural Australia. |

Plot Keywords:

Australia | Puppy | Neighbor | Communism | Death Of Pet

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Rebecca Smart	...	Celia Carmichael
Nicholas Eadie	...	Ray Carmichael
Victoria Longley	...	Alice Tanner
Mary-Anne Fahey	...	Pat Carmichael
Margaret Ricketts	...	Grandmother
Alexander Hutchinson	...	Steve Tanner
Adrian Mitchell	...	Karl Tanner
Callie Gray	...	Meryl Tanner
Martin Sharman	...	Evan Tanner
Clair Couttie	...	Heather Goldman
Alex Menglet	...	Mr. Goldman
Amelia Frid	...	Stephanie Burke
William Zappa	...	Inspector John Burke
Feon Keane	...	Soapy Burke
Louise Le Nay	...	Debbie Burke

Also Known As:

Celia: Child of Terror (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

102 min | USA:103 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Seon Film Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When Celia's teacher is reading The Hobyahs, the sentence she reads is different to the one show in the next shot (which she is supposedly reading.)

Lord of the Flies for girls

It is with a heavy heart that I note Celia, possibly my favourite film, is now being marketed with a tacky subtitle. This film is comparable to Jane Campion's work and is anything but a straight horror film, with a subtle characterisation and a compassionate yet unsentimental picture of childhood not generally associated with that genre. The narrative viewpoint is well sustained, with the grownup world of barbecues, blacklists, and affairs observed from a child's angle. The horror in question is in Celia's imagination, which, like that of all children, plays out the stresses of her own family and her culture. Various plagues - literal and metaphoric - impinge on her world, from myxomatosis to communism. Fans of blood and gore will be disappointed. The film is an unhurried portrait of 50s Australia, the pressure to conform, childhood, death. Its climax is sharp and bloody but logical; as is the lightness of the ending. As a touchstone, think of the daughter in the Piano, with her outrageous storybook lies, her spontaneity, her hurt rebellion, and her ultimate childishness. Just don't think Carrie. This is gem of a film, and let's face it, Hollywood churns out a lot of disappointing ones. As soon as you see the opening titles with Rebecca Smart's expressive face glancing all around her, while the theme music plays, you'll realise you're in the hands of a very talented director.