Calvary

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: August 1, 2014

7.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 156 Ratings

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ClariseSamuelsMar 8, 2015

Brendan Gleeson’s portrayal of Father James, the tormented priest, is what saves this film from being a confusing morass of conflicting philosophies. Father James, a priest in a small countryside parish in Ireland, is haunted, lonely, andBrendan Gleeson’s portrayal of Father James, the tormented priest, is what saves this film from being a confusing morass of conflicting philosophies. Father James, a priest in a small countryside parish in Ireland, is haunted, lonely, and struggling with a number of demons. He still mourns his late wife, whose death drove him to become a priest; he has a disaffected relationship with his adult daughter (Kelly Reilly) who visits him after having recently attempted suicide; and he is a borderline alcoholic. His most intimate relationship is with Bruno, his dog.

The film starts out with Father James in the confession box. A parishioner, whom Father James recognizes by voice, confesses to him a long childhood history of being sexually abused by a priest, who is now deceased. The abuse went on for several years, involving a number of children, and caused a scandal that had been reported in the news long ago. The parishioner has a bizarre plan to rectify the injustice that he suffered—he wants to kill a priest, not an abusive priest, but a good priest like Father James, and he makes a date to meet him on the beach in a week.

Father James does not overreact, to say the least. He discusses the case with a superior, who tells him to report it to the police, but he is reluctant. He says he knows who the parishioner is, but he does not want to take impulsive action. During the week that transpires, which is marked day by day on the screen, Father James gives evidence of being deeply depressed, perhaps suicidal. In fact, the entire film is about death and suicide. The daughter visits him after a suicide attempt. Then Father James has to visit a prisoner who committed a grisly murder; the prisoner requests the death sentence even though there is no death sentence in Ireland. An elderly novelist who lives alone asks Father James to get him a gun, preferably a Walther PPK, so that when the time comes, he can kill himself rather than succumb to the frailties of dementia. Father James himself is suspiciously casual about the death threat he experienced in the confession box.

During the week, the priest has arguments and one fist fight with other villagers. He drinks himself silly. He tells off a lot of people. A rich villager offers him a dubious financial scheme, and insanely ends up urinating on a classic masterpiece that he owns. The only point taken is that the millionaire is mentally ill. Father James goes to the police inspector to talk, but the police inspector is distracted by his young, gay lover with the thick New York City accent, who is so hyperactive that he clearly is suffering from mental problems as well. A young wife in the village is promiscuous and currently cheating on her husband with an African car mechanic. She doesn’t check in as being completely normal either.

The most depressing part of the job is administering last rites, which Father James says is never easy, although with the aged, “it’s not any easier but it’s more understandable.” At the hospital, he is called in to give last rites to an accident victim. The Emerg doctor (Aidan Gillen) is smoking outside the building; he is jaded, callous, and militantly atheistic. He tells the priest, “I know the atheistic doctor is a cliché.” In short, there’s not one pollyanna to be found in the entire village. And during that troublesome week, the priest’s church is burned down by an arsonist, and someone viciously kills Bruno, presumably the same villager who wants to kill the priest on Sunday. In one last phone call to his daughter, Father James declares what he says is the hardest part of humanity—forgiveness.

This film isn’t about faith, more like using faith to escape reality, and even then, faith is not very effective. Father James only becomes a priest to escape the pain of widowhood, and he continues to drink himself into oblivion. And he never officially reports the death threat delivered in the confession box, for apparently, it’s a sin for a priest to commit suicide, but it’s not a sin if someone volunteers their services and does the dirty work for him. In the end, there’s no redemption for the believer or the atheist, just a glimmer of hope for those who can forgive.… Expand

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gfnySep 3, 2014

Painfully slow but still riveting dialogue and a complex plot. Acting was good, direction unusual. The story line was difficult to understand but that is my fault, not the writer. I enjoyed the film but not sure what I watched.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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GreatMartinAug 19, 2014

“Calvary” opens with a man in the confessional booth telling the priest that he had been abused for 5 years when a child by a priest and since he is dead he will kill the priest he is talking to now as killing a bad priest would not make as“Calvary” opens with a man in the confessional booth telling the priest that he had been abused for 5 years when a child by a priest and since he is dead he will kill the priest he is talking to now as killing a bad priest would not make as strong a statement as killing an innocent one. The confessor tells the priest that he will give him a week, until next Sunday, to get his house in order before he kills him.

As we meet each villager, and watch their reaction to and with the priest, we soon forget about the killing and who may have said the confession and issued the threat except for each day of the week appearing on the screen.

Father James, played by Brendan Gleeson, joined the priesthood after his wife died and his adult daughter Fiona , played by Kelly Reilly, feels he left her behind. As he makes his parish rounds we get to meet citizens of the town, some who could have been the confessor. There is the butcher, Chris O’Dowd, who’s wife, Oria O’Rourke. has encounters with the immigrant lover Isaach De Bankole. We enter the home of the police inspector, Gary Lydon, who is in the middle of having sex with a male prostitute, Owen Sharpe. We meet an Atheist doctor, Aidan Gillen, and an extremely wealthy man, Dylan Moran, who thinks nothing of urinating on a million dollar painting he has bought. Along with these citizens we also meet a younger priest, David Wilmot, the Bishop David McSavage, a French woman, Marie-Josee Croze, who just lost her husband and an American writer M. Emmet Walsh. Last, but certainly not least, there is a very moving scene between Gleeson and a cannibalistic murderer,played by his son Domhnall Gleeson.

There is a lot of humor in the exchanges between the priest and those who are challenging his convictions and those of the Catholic church, but as one tells him. “You are just too sharp for this parish,” which turns out to be the truth.

The screenplay by John Michael McDonagh, who also directed, goes into faith, forgiveness and the many weaknesses of man, and woman, without, obviously, picking sides. He has also filmed the picture in the county Sligo which shows off the lush greens of Ireland along with the cliffs and coasts surrounding it.

Each cast member gets a scene to stand out and they meet the challenge but it is Brendan Gleeson and Kelly Reilly, who intrigued me in the TV series “Black Box”, that command your attention during the whole film.

“Calvary” is getting 5 star reviews but I left thinking that maybe if I was Irish or Catholic or a priest, a murderer or a sinner I might have liked it better. Being a sinner I did appreciate much of the dialogue and as a movie lover I certainly admired the acting but the bottom line is that I can’t recommend the film.

By the way there are two very violent scenes and the last 2 minutes of the film, if I understood it correctly, was a stunner.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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foxgroveAug 1, 2014

There is a lot to like and admire in 'Calvary', not least a compelling opening demonstrating Brendan Gleeson's skill as an actor, and a strong ending with a powerful final moment. These two stand out scenes book end a film which, whilstThere is a lot to like and admire in 'Calvary', not least a compelling opening demonstrating Brendan Gleeson's skill as an actor, and a strong ending with a powerful final moment. These two stand out scenes book end a film which, whilst containing great ensemble acting and intelligent writing, is to loosely directed to be totally successful. There is no real narrative drive beyond its almost inevitable conclusion. Gleeson is superb as the very human priest under threat of being murdered by a member of his own community. Living with this knowledge and battling his own demons he still carries on with the day to day effort of positively influencing the disparate bunch of characters he encounters on a daily basis. The screenplay, which takes place over the course of a week, examines the differing views on the church; from its hypocrisies, the cynicism of the non believers, to the almost obsessive nature of the converted. It is all served up with a delicious dose of black humour (I love the line ' Friends are enemies you've not made yet') which successfully makes its points without trivialising the serious nature of the film generally.
It certainly holds the attention and can also boast a fine supporting cast from which Chris O'Dowd stands out as the local butcher.… Expand

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jrodfilmsSep 7, 2014

i think this movie had alot of potential to be spectacular. it seemed more like a tv movie to me, some scenes and characters felt out of place and disconnected. the music and cinematography did not draw me in.

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lasttimeisawSep 30, 2015

English Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh is the elder brother of filmmaker Martin McDonagh, the mastermind who is behind such sterling black comedies as IN BRUGES (2008, 8/10) and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (2012). CALVARY is John Michael’sEnglish Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh is the elder brother of filmmaker Martin McDonagh, the mastermind who is behind such sterling black comedies as IN BRUGES (2008, 8/10) and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (2012). CALVARY is John Michael’s second feature, after the well-received THE GUARD (2011), stars McDonagh brothers’ regular Gleeson as Father James, an Irish priest in soutane, who is warned in the opening confession by an unnamed man, that he has only one week to live, because he will kill him the next Sunday for being a good priest, to the effect of shock value, as a vengeance towards his own sexually abused childhood perpetrated by a priest.

keep reading my review on my blog, please google: cinema omnivore, thanks in advance!… Expand

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ex_ef_exOct 24, 2014

Too wordy, too smart for its own good, populated by caricatures and self-indulgent. Waste of a good cast and one of the most unsettling opening lines ever,

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KenRNov 20, 2021

Calvary – In Search of Innocence Lost
British born writer/director John Michael McDonagh appears to be following the footsteps of Ingmar Bergman and the writings of the Greek classical age - with in-depth studies of the hopelessness andCalvary – In Search of Innocence Lost
British born writer/director John Michael McDonagh appears to be following the footsteps of Ingmar Bergman and the writings of the Greek classical age - with in-depth studies of the hopelessness and failings of the human condition to conquer its own weaknesses. If this is supposed to be black comedy then it’s the ‘comedy’ of chaos – offering very little, if anything, to feel humored about. Mostly, the audience is basically being manipulated to think and feel in a particular manner - through the actions of an endless parade of largely jaded, social misfits – many of who tend to come across as more willingly despicable, than deserving of much sympathy. Performances are uniformly good with Gleeson a standout as the local Catholic priest, offering genuine comfort to largely unreceptive parishioners. Location shooting is a highlight as is the varied music score and selected songs. But the downbeat ending casts an un-redeeming gloom on the overall proceedings. This is Greek tragedy Irish style, for those who can stay with the often sordid, heavy mood swings. The Dog is a nice touch but again, tends to serve simply as a device to elevate the tragedy into an audience’s memory. Very good looking with many interesting angles but offering little comfort, if not somewhat soul destroying.… Expand

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o_retyNov 29, 2019

Boringly nihilistic. And a lot of scenes rung false to me. Contrived and pretty pointless all around.

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