Parked

Parked
Directed by Darragh Byrne
Produced by Dominic Wright
Jacqueline Kerrin
Written by Ciaran Creagh
Story by Darragh Byrne
Starring Colm Meaney
Colin Morgan
Milka Ahlroth
Stuart Graham
Music by Niall Byrne
Production
company
Ripple World Pictures
Helsinki Filmi Oy
Irish Film Board
Suomen Elokuvasäätiö
RTÉ
Distributed by Element Pictures (UK/Ireland)
Olive Films (USA)
Release dates
 14 October 2011 (Ireland)
25 November 2011 (UK)
Running time
 94 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Ireland
Finland
Budget €1.1 million

Parked is a 2011 Irish drama film written by Ciaran Creagh and directed by Darragh Byrne about homelessness, friendship, and the will to survive adversity, whilst still retaining poise.[1]

Plot

Fred (Colm Meaney) lives a quiet, isolated life in his car, having lost all hope of improving his situation. That all changes when he forms an unlikely friendship with Cathal (Colin Morgan), a dope-smoking 21-year-old with a positive attitude, who becomes his 'neighbour.' Sharing laughs and the hard times too, Fred and Cathal find the simple, free pleasures of life.

Cathal is determined to make Fred sort out his life and it works. Fred modifies his car, beats the welfare system and makes a friend in Jules, an attractive music teacher who lives alone nearby. But Fred struggles with his pride to tell Jules about his 'home' and Cathal’s life is threatened by his escalating drug habit. As they grow closer, the influence of these three outsiders on each other will change their lives.

Fred's trust in Cathal was soon thwarted when he discovered Cathal injecting drugs into the veins of his feet. Cathal had sworn he had never injected, even showing Fred his arms as proof. Fred shouts at Cathal and then storms away to see Jules. While Fred is gone, Cathal is attacked by his drug dealer. Beaten and exhausted, Cathal sneaks into his dad's house, begging for money. His dad refuses to pay, and Cathal leaves. He then shows up at a bonfire with other drug addicts. They steal his shoes in exchange for a needle. Cathal injects himself in the arm and passes out.

Fred returns to find Cathal's car trashed and his treasured watch broken. He searches everywhere for Cathal, and eventually finds him in the mortuary. Cathal has died, but not before succeeding in improving Fred's life. Jules knows about Fred living in a car, and Fred is on the way to having a place of his own thanks to Cathal's persuasion. In the end, Cathal still managed to save Fred, though he couldn't do the same for himself.

Cast

A man who returns to Dublin and has nowhere to live but his car, after working in England for years.
A friendly young man who is a homeless drug addict, but becomes Fred's closest friend.
An attractive Finnish music teacher and widow, who Fred is attracted to.
A distant father who blames his son Cathal for his wife's death.
A drug dealer who is determined to get paid, no matter the means.

Festivals

Awards and Nominations

Awards
Year Award Category Name Outcome
2011
Galway Film Fleadh Best First Feature Award Won
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg Best Film (Main Award) Won
Brussels Film Festival Best Film (Audience Award) Won
Dallas International Film Festival Honourable Mention Won
Irish Film Festival Boston Best Feature Won
Paris Close Up Film Festival MK2 Jameson Best First Irish Feature Award Won
Irish Film & Television Academy Best Actor in a Lead Role Film Colm Meaney Nominated
Best Editing Guy Montgomery Nominated
Best Original Score Niall Byrne Nominated
Best Make-Up and Hair Louise Myler Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Meaney: still cursing after all these years Sunday Independent, 2011-10-16.

External links

Official website http://www.parkedmovie.com/

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