The Castle is an Australian film by filmmaker Rob Sitch. Released in 1997, the comedy flick was theatrically distributed by Roadshow Entertainment. The film explores the everyday life of the Australian working-class with a touch of humor and sarcasm. It mainly focuses on the struggles faced by the family unit in a modern Australian society. Despite its humorous nature, The Castle delves deep into Australian land and property laws, as it reconciles with its dark history.
The script was written by Jane Kennedy, Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Fleisher, and produced by Debra Choate, all under the Working Dog Production Company. The ensemble cast include Anne Tenney, Anthony Simcoe, Michael Caron, Sophie Lee, Stephen Curry, and Wayne Hope, all of whom are portrayed as members of the Kerrigan family tree. Stephen Curry was also the narrator of the film. Mariana Marusic handled the cinematography, Wayne Hyett edited the film, and Craig Harnath composed the score.
At an approximate budget of $750,000, the film was a box office success, grossing over A$10,000,000. The Castle received critical acclaim and is highly considered as one of the greatest films in Australia. Its use of Australian humor and cultural issues made it into an instant classic among Australians.
At a run-time of 84 minutes, the film does an exceptional job of encompassing such sensitive political matters with so much humor without downplaying the severity of those matters. The Castle won the 1997 AFI Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Australian Movie Convention Award for Movie of the Year. The film and the cast itself were nominated for many other awards globally.
