I wouldn't call Parked an excellent movie like some others on here but it's a good movie enough to watch once and that's about it. The story is okay but in my eyes it's been told a bit too slow. The homeless guy living in his car because of unfortunate circumstances with a heroin junkie as his neighbor also living in his car. You can have some sympathy for one and a bit lesser for the other. It's interesting to watch them becoming friends with all the differences they have, and to watch them struggle to get their life back on track again. Colm Meaney and Colin Morgan did a good job playing the two main characters. The movie could just have used a bit more tempo and a happier note but it is what it is. Not bad but not excellent.
... View MoreJust tried to watch it on video and gave up at the 25 minute mark. Why? Couldn't hear the dialog - even though there's not much, I cannot stand a movie in which I can't hear the dialog. You keep turning up the volume to try and catch what the characters are saying in their thick accents, and then suddenly, you're blasted with the background music. Why no subtitles on the DVD??? It really needs them. Maybe the dialog is supposed to be of no importance and the story is only supposed to be told visually. Don't care! If it's not a silent movie, I need to hear the dialog and you can't. If it isn't too low volume, then it's being drowned out by car engines or feet scuffling on pavement or some other background noise. I don't know how all the other reviewers found themselves so moved by this movie. The execrable sound recording job done on it totally ruined it for me and made the movie an unconditionally frustrating experience that I ultimately just gave up on.
... View MorePARKED is such a remarkable and emotionally raw film; and Colin Morgan and Colm Meaney are Brilliant in their portrayal of the characters Cathal O'Regan and Fred Daly. It is a moving character-study. The first time I watched PARKED, it left me completely emotionally drained. It took me days to recover to a point were I could function in my day-to-day life. So much of this movie reflected parts of my own life once, so it hit me very close to home. This film has reminded me to not just exist ~~ but to LIVE!!! There is a scene where Fred and Cathal are sitting in the car overlooking Dublin and Cathal asks Fred if he has ever seen the actual moment when that leaf breaks from it's branch; if you don't know the outcome of the movie, I think this is the most telling scene. The allegory is simple and so breathtaking. And so incredibly sad. What kills me the most is the beauty lost in this young man. This is him, not only acknowledging that nothing lasts, but also him capable of recognizing and bringing out the most precious moments, seeing beauty and fragility in life. As fleeting as his own. Cathal's struggle with himself and the despair in his soul is indicative of many of whom go through this challenging arena called life.
... View MoreA very moving film - a credit to the producers Ripple World and to a very talented cast. The story follows Fred Daly (Colm Meaney), an introverted and marginalized middle-aged man who returns to Ireland and ends up living in his car. He befriends a young homeless junkie, Cathal (Colin Morgan) and the two find comfort and a glimmer of hope in their low-key friendship.Meaney gives a superb performance, walking the tightrope between sentimentality and cheap laughs without ever falling into either trap. He plays a man clinging to the last vestiges of normality, whether it be watering a plant or brushing his teeth, - a drowning man by the sea, clinging to the smallest pieces of debris to stay afloat. Morgan, best known as Merlin in the TV series of the same name, shows huge promise as a big screen actor.Well written by Ciaran Creagh whose theatre background has given him a good ear for dialogue. Directed with elegant understatement by Darragh Byrne and with some beautiful photography from John Conroy including cinematic landscapes that lifted it away from potential TV-style relentless grimness.If there is a single word for the movie, it is uncompromising. It takes a hard, unblinking look at lives on the margins but manages to retain its characters' humanity. I watched it at the LA Irish Film Festival 2011 and there were more than a few tears shed in the audience, which again is a credit to the film-makers in a world where shiny things and explosions usually dominate. For sure it is a slow burn, but all the more elegant for that. Full of sadness and pathos, but leaving the door open for a final sliver of hope to shine through. Bravo.
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