The Castle
Directed by Danny Biancardi, Stefano La Rosa, Virginia Nardelli.
SYNOPSIS:
Angelo, Mary and Rosy are three youngsters who live in a run-down Palermo neighbourhood. An abandoned nursery in the heart of the district becomes a haven where they can let their imaginations run wild and escape the pressures of everyday life.
The creators of this enchanting documentary have done an excellent job of presenting a time of life when anything is possible. The children in the film—Angelo, Mary, and Rosy, along with other neighbourhood kids—revel in the space of an abandoned nursery in Palermo’s Danisinni district.
Taking the kids’ point of view as the central focus and never allowing adult curiosity to interrupt their experience of the world, the film is in all senses a profound testament to friendship and resilience. The trio seize the opportunity to explore and clean up the old kindergarten area, ignoring warnings that it may not be safe. They persevere, turning it into a place where they can be themselves. It’s also a place of refuge, most notably for Angelo, who explains that he doesn’t feel much in common with boys his age and prefers to be on his own or with his friends, Mary and Rosy.
A glimpse of how this affects him and his friends is offered when some other local kids learn of the hideout and burst in, wanting some of the beguiling, restful peace that the three have discovered and cultivated. Although the safe space they name “the castle” survives this chaotic encounter, it’s suspected from the outset that the safe space won’t remain forever. The Italian title of the film, Il Castello Indistruttibile, and the hopeful feeling at its conclusion suggest that perhaps the innocent wisdom and friendship of the three truly is indestructible.
Regeneration plans for the neighbourhood, plus a new community centre on the castle’s ruins, offer further hope of a brighter future for the area. A beautiful soundtrack, including alternately melancholic and uplifting jazzy tones from the Swedish artist 1900, brings out another dimension in this dreamily inspired picture.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
