Citadel (2012) (1st viewing) d. Foy, Ciarán (Ireland/Scotland)
After witnessing a brutal assault on his pregnant wife by a savage gang of hooded youths, Aneurin Barnard finds himself crippled with agoraphobia. Barely able to escape the confines of his dilapidated apartment complex to attend therapy sessions or retrieve food for his newborn daughter, Barnard is haunted by visions of the past, fearing the assailants will return. Return they do, revealing themselves to be more than an underage collective of thugs, but legitimate monsters cut from Cronenberg's Brood cloth and equipped with savage cunning and a perverse agenda. Writer/director Foy pulse-pounding debut is set amidst snow-swept, urban wasteland environs, successfully isolating his protagonists such that terror – ours and his – is felt during both daylight and darkest night. As a gruff priest and sympathetic nurse, James Cosmo and Wunmi Mosaku respectively offer able support, but it’s Barnard and Foy’s show all the way – the director and star ably work in tandem, creating an oppressive atmosphere of tension and despair. Having already racked up multiple audience awards during its brief festival run, this is a bold new voice in horror that I’ll be rooting for and that you will be hearing about.
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