The Castle Review

Directed by Rob Sitch, The Castle was a definite crowd pleaser at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and has since gone on to be one of Australia’s best low budget films. Combining typical Australian culture with a dysfunctional but loveable family, The Castle is packed full of hilarious moments that has even international audiences cheering with joy.

The Castle tells the story of the Kerrigan’s, a tight-knit family, who live next door to an airport. Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) loves his family home and the ‘serenity’ of the place, he wouldn’t have it any other way, but a spanner is thrown into the works when the compulsory acquisition of his beloved home turns up on his doorstep. Together with his creative wife Sal (Anne Tenney) and four kids Dale (Stephen Curry), ‘Ideas Man’ Steve (Anthony Simcoe), Wayne (Wayne Hope) and daughter Tracy (Sophie Lee), Darryl must fight the good fight to try and save his ‘Castle’. This goal seems almost impossible to achieve, but with the help of Lawrence Hammill (Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell) and community support, all hope is not lost. With old fashioned family values and pride in one another’s achievements (no matter how big or small), the Kerrigan’s show how a family can get through anything.

Perfectly combining entertaining comedy with serious issues makes The Castle all the more enjoyable. With quirky and relatable characters and surprisingly funny dialogue popping up in every scene, The Castle is a must see for anyone looking for a good time.