Parked


Parked is a 2011 Irish drama film written by Ciaran Creagh and directed by Darragh Byrne about homelessness, friendship, and the will to survive adversity, whilst still retaining poise.

Plot

Having returned from the UK to his native Ireland, middle-aged Fred lives an isolated life in his car, caught in a bureacratic trap: Without social benefits he cannot afford to rent a room and without a permanent address, he is not entitled to social benefits. That all changes when he forms an unlikely friendship with Cathal, a dope-smoking 21-year-old with a positive attitude, who becomes his 'neighbour.' Sharing laughs and the hard times too, Fred and Cathal find some simple, free pleasures of life.
Cathal is determined to make Fred sort out his life and it works. Fred modifies his car, beats the system and makes a friend in Jules, an attractive music teacher who lives alone nearby. But Fred struggles with his pride to tell Jules about his 'home' and Cathal’s life is threatened by his escalating drug habit.
Fred's trust in Cathal is soon thwarted when he discovered Cathal injecting drugs into the veins of his feet. Cathal had sworn he had never injected, even showing Fred his arms as proof. Fred shouts at Cathal and then storms away to see Jules. While Fred is gone, Cathal is attacked by his drug dealer. Beaten and exhausted, Cathal breaks into his dad's house, begging for money. His dad refuses to pay, and Cathal leaves. He then shows up at a bonfire with other drug addicts. They steal his shoes in exchange for a needle. Cathal injects himself in the arm and passes out.
Fred returns to find Cathal's car trashed and his treasured watch broken. He searches everywhere for Cathal, and eventually finds him in the mortuary. Cathal has died, but not before succeeding in improving Fred's life. Jules knows about Fred living in a car, and Fred is on the way to having a place of his own thanks to Cathal's persuasion. In the end, Cathal still managed to save Fred, though he couldn't do the same for himself.

Reception

Critical Response

On Rotten Tomatoes Parked has an approval rating of 67% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2 out of 10. On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Cast