Parked

Saw this beautiful movie yesterday on IFFR (google it) and was blown away by fantastic acting, a heartbreaking story and beautiful cinematography. I cannot say too much about the movie, since it speaks for itself, but I can say it depicts the situation of Ireland at the moment. Someone asked the director of the movie if the situation in Ireland as depicted was as bad as in the movie, he answered "maybe worse".

All in all this movie has grabbed me and my fellow viewers as a pearl. Camera standpoints are up close and personal and this really makes you part of the sad life of the main characters, never becoming melodramatic. To me, 9 out-of-10! If you're able to go see this movie; go! It's a beauty.

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.

I liked the look of this and the storyline sounded interesting

It is ok up to the first half then before you know it it is over with a poor ending.

I didn't care for either of the characters and didn't feel it was as harrowing as some are miking out. In fact I would say it was very weak in parts.

There's always something so comforting about returning to quaint, little, low-budget Indies from the UK or Ireland, I can't describe it... Despite the cinematic spectacle of gargantuan Hollywood blockbusters (flaunting super pristine, egregiously large production values with heavy corporate involvement / oversight), I believe there are endearingly charming quirks to be appreciated in the imperfections, borne from filmmakers lovingly crafting a tale with limited resources at their disposal - which I continually find myself preferring, personally.

If anything, the issues stemming from ambitious artistic creativity, warring against the restrictive confines of reality often ground the narrative in a feeling of authenticity that's seldom able to be replicated by high end production studios, specifically because prestigious projects - in their vain attempts to capture moments faultlessly (& in an unconvincingly American way) - deprive the majority of scenes exactly what makes them so relatable to us; their flaws.

"Parked" is a great example of this, proving my point (hence the verbose anecdote, preceding); stripped back, devoid of the US glitz & glamour we've typically grown accustomed to as audiences, focusing entirely on the substance of character - as opposed to superficial style, artificially rendered to usually compensate for a lack of it. No, rather than indulge in that increasingly tedious shallowness I've alluded to, the movie's just a really well told story - indeed, basic, yet undeniably effective - unfolding beautifully in a poignant, organically developing, bittersweet tale, balancing bleakness with a profound sense of hopefulness (possessing layers of depth, warmth & a sincerity in its depiction of humanity, I couldn't help but admire), making for an extremely rewarding viewing experience - due to how crushingly honest everything seems, from beginning to end.

Plus, Colin Morgan & Colm Meaney are both notably incredible here (Morgan in particular, arguably delivering one of the most devastating performances I've ever seen him give in his career - embodying a deeply tragic figure "Cathal", a homeless drug addict with a heart of gold - keeping "Fred", the protagonist, company as they take refuge in a car park by the ocean, using their vehicles as shelter whilst they search for properties to live in; his tortured mind tragically yearning for a place to call home, metaphorically & literally, incapable of finding his idea of solace in the world, nor reconciling with the events of the past, leading to a wrenching sense of separation; visualised through a nuanced, powerful imagining brought to the screen under the watchful eye of excellent director Darragh Byrne - however, what a double act), impressively capitalising off of the opportunity given by writer Ciaran Creagh (constructing such a rich emotional landscape for them to play in), bringing his script to life from the page, brilliantly.

Hence, although miniscule, it's poetically mighty - packing a punch, many bigger blockbusters fail to ever make.

Available on Amazon Prime in England. Definitely recommend & well worth your time, if you have it.

I'm a huge fan of Colin Morgan, which is why I watched this. He's brilliant, as is Colm Meaney. The story is really bleak but very watchable. Mercifully, it's only 90 minutes! Worth watching for fans of these actors or of indie Irish films, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea.