Celia

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Tomatometer
Not Yet Available

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: N/A

86%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 105

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified.
Fandango

AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
- Fandango
- AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
  
  Enter your Ticket Confirmation# located in your email.More Info
- Cinemark Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Regal Coming Soon
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?

You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?

Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?

Celia Photos

View All Photos (4)

Movie Info

In 1950s Australia, young Celia (Rebecca Smart) is growing up with a sense of isolation and mistrust of the world that surrounds her. Her mother, Pat (Mary-Anne Fahey), and father, Ray (Nicholas Eadie), won't let her play with the kids next door because their parents are communists. Then her pet bunny is taken away because of rabbit overpopulation. And, more traumatizing yet, when her grandmother dies, she's the one to discover the corpse. To cope, she retreats into elaborate fantasies.

Genre:

mystery and thriller
Original Language:

English
Director:

Ann Turner
Producer:

Timothy White, Gordon Glenn
Release Date (Streaming):

Jul 26, 2020
Runtime:

1h 43m

Cast & Crew

Rebecca Smart
Celia Carmichael

Nicholas Eadie
Ray Carmichael

Mary-Anne Fahey
Pat Carmichael

Victoria Longley
Alice Tanner

William Zappa
Inspector John Burke

Deborra-Lee Furness
Miss Greenway

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Celia (Celia: Child of Terror)

All Critics (1) | Fresh (1)

Deserves to be celebrated as one of the best features Australia has ever had to offer.

July 20, 2018 | Full Review…

Sarah Ward
Concrete Playground

View All Critic Reviews (1)

Audience Reviews for Celia (Celia: Child of Terror)

Jan 04, 2011

Fuck me, this was an intense, brilliant and perceptive film about childhood, and the end of childhood. Rebecca Smart's performance as the titular Celia is one of the finest child performances I have ever seen; natural, effortless. Set brilliantly in 50's Australia, with fear of communism at its peak, Celia gets conflicting information from adults around her, her parents telling her she will understand when she is older. Her Grandma, dead at the beginning of the film, was presumably more sensible in her approach and her absence is felt throughout. Celia's parents themselves (especially the father) are mostly clueless, cruel, ignorant, arrogant - so instead she finds direction from her new neighbour's - finally finding a solid mother figure and children she can play with (Celia is the victim of some horrific bullying elsewhere). Celia is a heartbreaking but funny and above all TRUTHFUL film that sits alongside the likes of Stand By Me and Heavenly Creatures (but unlike the former, doesn't ever break into nostalgia or sentimentality - it's a harsh film). Worth seeking out (the UK DVD is widely available and has an excellent contextualising essay in the booklet). If you don't bawl your eyes out then I do not want to know you.

Daniel P Super Reviewer