Calvary

source: Calvary

By far the best film I've watched the last quadrennia. I really do not know where to begin describing this film, an absolute revelation. Most of the basic categories are at least very good to say, with a good soundtrack, exceptional photography, dialogue, monologues, plot pace, performances and finally; direction. I'll start with the trailer. A promotion that gives us only the necessary to get only one idea (the basic) of what is the film about and nothing more than that, and at no point gives away all the plot as most Hollywood trailers do. To the film; this director literally screws you down on your seat from minute one. And then, I got to watch the most harmonically stoic storyline unwind calmly, with a great deal of realism, stoicism, humour and wit, this director manages to keep the viewer interested with a very, very simple plot. No hysteria, no stress, no agony, no explosions, no unnecessary nudity, yet and while it is calm; we have a wee healthy suspense on who might be the antagonist, and at the same time McDonagh has got me to Ireland. The photography and the shots takes are simply breathtaking, while I got to see how an Irish town lives, their culture, their point of view. All the characters are "active" each one of them with his own personality, characteristics, personal drama, history and background, with an eye for the detail by the director and the script. This film get's the viewer to think, to sympathise, to philosophise and genuinely smile with the disarming simplicity of reality.

This meandering, illogical film barely holds together. Filled with speeches and "Acting" with a capital A, its story and characters (including the central character, the priest) are, at best, implausible, and their behavior is inconsistent, often at odds with everything we are told about them. One annoying quirk, from the opening scene onward, is the characters' tendency to describe their own dialogue, e.g. "that's an interesting opening line," or "that's a line that sounds witty but isn't" as though they were sitting around in a script conference with the writers. At every moment, we are reminded that these are just actors reciting lines in a movie written by people trying to be edgy. The Irish coast is beautiful but irrelevant, and the movie could have been performed on any indoor stage.

Brendan Gleeson, for me, is an excellent actor; he always has such sincerity in his performances(with the exception of "Turbulence"). And like in "The Guard" it was great to see him as the lead role again. The story is a very unique one and although the film is full of dark comedy and wit, there are genuine moments of travesty and turmoil that slip in here and there and give the film much more depth. Topics are touched upon that may not be greeted well amongst some people; but these topics where based on truth, so there should be no cause to complain. Every actor brings something to the table with their characters. Brendan Gleeson is definitely the star of the show as Father James Lavelle, he delivers on so many levels; it's like acting just comes completely natural to him. Dylan Moran plays Michael in what is almost a tip of the hat to Dougal from "Father Ted". Chris O'Dowd is his usual quirky self as Jack, yet shows a lot more emotion than in any of his previous roles. Kelly Reilly who plays Father Leville's daughter Fiona, gels really well with Gleeson. One moment that was very sentimental was the scene between real life father and son. As in one scene Father Leville comes face to face with convicted serial killer Freddie Joyce (Domhnall Gleeson). Playing complete polar opposites it was a nice touch and i'm sure was a nice moment for both. With all the events that happen in the period of the film, i think it gives a great insight to what life as a priest may be like. The persistent problems to which people seek the answer from you. The grief you may take, the accusations, the expectation. The dedication and restraint is commendable. Is it my cup of tea? No. Not in a billion years, but i'm an atheist, so wouldn't be much help. A very good film which gives you plenty of comedy and its fair share of touching moments.

As an Irish viewer, I felt a certain trepidation as I walked into my local cinema today that Calvary would be the step too far for Irish film. I assumed that the seemingly endless list of well known Irish actors that John Michael McDonagh's latest film boasted could well be more of a burden than a blessing. I feared that I was about to watch a lackluster production which relied solely on its cast's reputation to lull the audience into a sense of comfort in the familiar. Thankfully, I couldn't have been further from the truth. The film's opening line immediately removes any inkling that this is going to be a happy-go-lucky Irish gagfest. The few stifled laughs were short lived as the seriousness of "I was seven when I first tasted semen" hit home. The topic of the child sex abuse scandal of the Catholic church is dealt with head on and shamelessly. McDonagh excellently portrays the changing religious outlook of a rural community due to the shocking revelations about their once sacred church and the troubles of a fundamentally good priest dealing with the backlash to these revelations. The graceful aerial shots of rural Sligo's scenery pairs expertly with the soundtrack in setting the ideal background for an equally graceful screenplay. Brendan Gleeson gives arguably the performance of his career as Father James Lavelle, while Aiden Gillen, Dylan Moran and Chris O' Dowd all give performances warranting the same accolade. Calvary is a beautifully subtle social commentary on the state of the Irish psyche today and a huge step up from McDonagh's excellent previous work "The Guard". There are some genuine belly laughs to be found in this movie but also some genuine soul searching questions left in your mind after it ends. As the final credits rolled silently and the audience of my local cinema sat completely still for what felt like an age, all my previous doubts about this film were long behind me and my only question was "when can I see it again?"

I'm not really a fan of "The Guard". It was certainly entertaining and reasonably funny but it was also deeply derivative; it often felt like something John Michael McDonagh's more talented brother Martin might have thrown out as not quite up to the mark. "Calvary", McDonagh's new film, is a considerable improvement, if again not wholly successful. For a start, it doesn't feel remotely 'realistic' but then, I hear you ask, why should it be. Realism is not necessarily a prerequisite for a successful drama but this film feels 'scripted', full of stock characters teetering, and sometimes falling over, into cliché. What McDonagh has given us here isn't so much a realistic drama but a parable, a passion play set over the course of a week in which a kind of Christ figure, (in this case, a 'good' priest), waits for his own Calvary which he knows is coming. It begins in the confessional when someone we don't see tells the priest, (Brendan Gleeson), that he will kill him a week on Sunday. The would-be murderer's reason for this is two-fold; as a child he was repeatedly raped by a priest now dead and secondly, why kill a bad priest? Isn't it a much greater affront to an uncaring God to kill a good priest, a man who is totally innocent? McDonagh is reputed to have said that this is his 'Bresson' film and yes, there is something Bressonian about the hell that Gleeson is living in, for here is a rural Irish community that could have come out of Dante and have been drawn by Bruegel. There are drug addicts, a rent boy, adulterers, disbelievers, even a child murderer, all well played but none particularly feasible, (it's hard to accept that a policeman who openly avails himself of the services of a gay rent boy would slap a priest in the pub or that a priest would start firing a gun around a bar and then get beaten up by the barman). If you can't believe in the characters then it is hard to accept the initial premiss. Still, if this film is something of a failure it's an honest and an ambitious failure. The last ten minutes or so are quite devastating and Gleeson, as always, is superb. (Stand-outs in the supporting cast include Chris O'Dowd's cynical wife-beating butcher and Dylan Moran's drunken land-owner). As to who the potential killer is, McDonagh keeps us guessing to the end, throwing in the customary red-herrings to side- track us on the way. It's a film I believe has been overpraised and yet there isn't much else like it out there at the moment. See it and judge for yourselves.

Aside from some fine acting by Brendan Gleeson, I can't see a whole lot to recommend this film to the average viewer. However, if you have been hurt by the Catholic Church and just want to see a random priest killed, then perhaps you'll enjoy "Calvary". The film begins with a priest, Father Lavelle (Gleeson) in the confessional about to listen to someone's confession. However, instead of asking forgiveness, the person on the other side tells the priest that he was molested as a child by a priest--and for that, he was going to murder Father Lavelle--even though Lavelle didn't do it and the man admits that the Father isn't the perpetrator. And, for the rest of the film, you see the priest trying to do his job in perhaps the most hellish town on Earth. Almost everyone in this town is evil or miserable. In fact, after a while, it almost made me laugh because it was such a one-dimensional place. And, none of it really made any sense. There's the strange rich guy who invites the priest over and then proceeds to urinate all over one of his expensive paintings. Then, there's the old writer who wants the priest to give him a gun so he can shoot himself. And, there are lots of other lovely folks--including an openly gay priest who hangs out with a guy who constantly mocks God (???), an angry perverted doctor, a cannibal (yes, a cannibal) as well as the priest's suicidal daughter (he became a priest after his wife died). No one in the town seems decent or real--all are angry and spend the entire movie mocking God and Father Lavelle. Ultimately, by the end of the film, the guy at the beginning returns and blows the priest's brains out in a very vivid scene. I normally don't insert spoilers, but the scene is so vivid and gruesome that I think you need to be forewarned. My only way to make sense of all this is that the folks making this film truly despise the Catholic Church. I myself am not Catholic and am angry at the way this organization covered up years of pedophile priests--and would love to see more films that address this. But, this does not mean that I'd take pleasure at seeing a priest brutally murdered for my entertainment! I cannot even imagine most atheists enjoying this!! The bottom line is that I kept watching and hoping it would all make sense--the one-dimensional characters, the anger and the threat to kill the man. But, ultimately, the film just seemed to take pleasure in nihilism and awfulness. And, I keep wondering WHO is the audience for "Calvary"?! Rarely have I seen a film this offensive and seemingly pointless. Perhaps I'm missing something...but I doubt it.

One of the most moving films I've watched in years. Simple story line, however, is full of colourful moments. As to the genre - this is not a typical art house movie, as it does have a goal-driven plot, as well as clearly defined narrative (which becomes clear only at the end of a film). I'm becoming a huge fan of the Irish productions now, after the critically acclaimed (brilliant acting by Daniel Day-Lewis) "My left foot"; "Inside I'm dancing" with the Scottish James McAvoy; Shameful & hungry Michael Fassbender. Surely Brendan Gleeson did a fantastic job in the "Calvary", but bravo to Christ O'Dowd! Please don't read or watch the spoilers . Ah don't even bother about the trailers! If it was on in the cinema again, I'd have gone at least a few times (to be fair, hardly ever watch one film twice).

¨ I've always felt there's something inherently psychopathic about joining the army in peace time.¨ Calvary is director, John Michael McDonagh's followup to 2011's The Guard which also happened to star Brendan Gleeson in the lead role. This time Gleeson plays a Catholic Priest named Father James who is threatened during a confession by someone who we don't get to see. This man claims to have been sexually molested by a Priest several times as a kid and although Father James is a good and decent Priest he must take the fall in order for a statement to be made. Father James is given one week (or so this man claims) before being killed on the following Sunday on the beach. The father is troubled by this threat but he must continue doing his parish work during the remaining course of the week. We follow him as he has some deep conversations with the different members of the small Irish town they live in. It's a very interesting premise that hooks you from the start and has you wondering which of all the troubled people in the town might be the one who has threatened this goodhearted Priest. However the film works just as fine without that premise because the interactions between these characters is the true center of the story. These are all broken men and women who the Father interacts with and most of the conversations are deep and spiritual. Calvary isn't a film about religion, but it does have some important things to say about faith and virtues. It is very well written by McDonagh and the screenplay is rich in dark comedy; perhaps one of the best things about this movie. This is a film that could be very easily adapted to a stage play because the written material is superb and carries the movie on its own. Calvary also benefits from the beautiful scenery of the Irish coast line and a wonderful supporting cast. This is a film that sticks with you and one I wouldn't mind watching again. Brendan Gleeson is a fantastic actor and one wishes he continue to collaborate with director McDonagh. I remembered he also gave a fantastic performance in In Bruges, which ironically was written and directed by John McDonagh's brother. These guys are great writers and know how to include a lot of wit in their dialogues. The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. Kelly Reilly plays Fiona, Father James's daughter (I know you might be thinking what is a Priest doing with a daughter because I asked myself the same question, but we quickly find out that James was once married and when his wife died he became a Priest). She is going through some difficult times, and James is trying to help her find answers. Chris O'Dowd also gives a terrific performance as one of the members from the parish whose wife is having an affair with an African man, but he seems OK with this because he can finally enjoy his freedom. Aidan Gillen (from Game of Thrones) plays the Atheist doctor, while Emmet Walsh is an old writer who is well aware that he's approaching death. These are just some of the people that Father James deals with in his community and each interaction is very rich and profound. There is plenty of dark humor balanced with a great amount of spiritual questions. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the material was handled. I can't even remember when was the last time that a Priest was portrayed so well on screen. Calvary is a powerful film with great performances and some sharp writing, and that is why this is one of the must see films of 2014. All I know is that after watching this I was desperate to get my hands on The Guard which I haven't had a chance to see but definitely will now. I highly recommend Calvary.

I was really looking forward to this. Yes, Gleeson was amazing - luckily he has broad shoulders as he had to carry this over-hyped dismal little experience all on his own. Where were the characters? We were subjected to a series of one-to-ones with Father James Lavelle. Each one more miserable than the last. Most of the characters were selfish, vile, pitiful, nihilistic and badly drawn. Worst of all none of them were interesting. They barely communicated with each other through the whole movie so the entire plot was told through Gleesons character who is in pretty much every scene. There was no character development apart a small revelation at the end. The story and plotting is as about as linear as it gets - !!!spoiler!!! Man is threatened with murder - man is murdered by the guy who threatened him.!spoiler end! yep. THat was it. I usually fall on the side of the critics opinions with most movies but I'm really beginning to think there's something I'm missing. I understood the themes of retribution, reconciliation etc. And yes, the catholic church has a hell of lot to answer for. However, the whole thing was delivered with such little originality or finesse I found it hard to care for or engage with most of it. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise and might watch it again. But the first experience were so underwhelming I'll struggle.