Parked (2010)

A 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.