The Castle

This coming of age film follows Monika, a thirteen-year-old Lithuanian girl, after her arrival to live in Dublin. A passionate teenage singer Monika has come along with her mother Jolanta, a professional pianist, who had to take a job in a local fish factory alongside many others in the neighbourhood and her heavily demented Granny who requires 24/7 care. Monika, however, keeps pushing her mum to continue music with her, convinced they will make it big until one day they indeed get an invitation to play in ‘The Castle’ – one of the best music venues in Ireland. Jolanta, a pragmatic realist, sells their keyboard and tells Monika they won’t be going to any castles. This doesn’t stop Monika however – she’ll go alone. Monika cooks up a scheme to get the EUR100 for a hire of the keyboard. Struggling to raise the money she ends up abducting her own Granny and, pretending to kidnap her, demands a ransom from Jolanta, her mother.