Citadel Review
Ciaran Foy's directorial debut is ultimately an underwhelming genre film, which attempts to raise some important questions, but merely provides a muddled plot of uneven political stance.
The plot of Citadel is dark, bleak and depressing. Young father Tommy sees his pregnant girlfriend attacked by a gang of hooded kids, she then ends up in a coma leaving Tommy to look after their child as he copes with his increased agoraphobia and anxiety. Tommy is a painfully weak character, to the point where it becomes irritating, his fear of the outside world appears to represent feelings of today's parents, who obsess over the safety of their offspring in this supposedly terrifying world of gangs and crime. The plot then shifts up a gear as Tommy's house is broken into by the same hooded figures that attacked his girlfriend, as he seeks help of the local priest he is told that these figures are not human but demons. It is at this point where one begins to question the motives behind this piece, is Foy deliberately making out that anyone wearing a hoody is instantly a potential killer, or is he passing comment on the demonisation of hooded youth, brought to life literally through the demons in the film. It's a muddled plot, one which is both laughably silly and frighteningly current.
Aside from the plot, the film is a mood piece, a film which brings forth feelings of tension, unnerve and depression. Most of this is done through the visuals, which are grimy and nightmarish, perhaps displaying a literal view of how we imagine the housing estates pictured in the film. Being a horror film, the entire picture feels like Tommy's nightmare, utilising loud distortion noises coupled with unnerving shots of hooded figures poised to attack or standing in doorways to make the film seem like a twisted reality. Holding all of these elements together is Aneurin Barnard's performance, a brilliant representation of the fear and paranoia supposedly taking place within urban estates today.
Ultimately, the film feels confused, it seems Foy can't make up his mind whether to demonise or comment on the demonisation of hooded youth, which makes the film frustrating to watch. As a horror film, it succeeds to an extent, but provides nothing more than a standard genre film would, albeit with noticeable use of tension building and mood, something which is missing from many contemporary horror films. It is perhaps too low budget and artsy for blockbuster horror fans, yet is too cliche and predictable for the arthouse crowd. Citadel is mediocre at best, an attempt to create something more than a standard horror affair, which fails due to its muddled plot and politics, leaving nothing more than an average picture.
6/10
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