CALVARY
***1/2
DIRECTED BY John Michael McDonagh
STARS Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd
“That’s nothing but cheap cynicism!” bellows Father James (Brendan Gleeson) to a villager detailing his dark view of the world, only to be told that it may be cynical but there’s nothing cheap about it — it was hard-earned. A similar description can apply to Calvary, which provides such a fatalistic view of human nature that even atheistic audience members might feel inclined to pick up the good book for comfort. Yet thanks to writer-director John Michael McDonagh’s powerhouse script and Gleeson’s superb central performance, Calvary earns its sour stripes — it’s a bruising beauty of a film.
“I was seven years old the first time I tasted semen,” states the voice emanating from the other side of the confessional. “That’s definitely a startling opening line,” retorts Father James, speaking both for himself and for viewers still settling into their seats as the picture commences. The voice belongs to an individual who was abused for years by a man of the cloth. The victim states that as retaliation, he wants to shock the world by killing a good priest, a man like Father James. This sets the tone for the picture, as Father James spends the next week conducting God’s business as usual, knowing that his time might be drawing to an end. But whereas Father James truly is a good person (albeit with some significant blind spots), his constituents are more varied, a mixed lot that includes an adulterous wife (Orla O’Rourke), her ineffectual husband (Chris O’Dowd), her abusive boyfriend (Isaach De Bankole), a heartless doctor (Aidan Gillen) and other morally compromised individuals. The clergyman can’t seem to make any headway with this group — one of them even burns down his church — and even outsiders treat him poorly. A chat with a young girl vacationing in the area leads to nasty words from her dad, who’s convinced that Father James was preparing to molest his daughter because he’s a priest and abusing children seems to be their only purpose in this modern age.
McDonagh and Gleeson previously teamed up for The Guard, which ended up being one of the best films of 2011. This latest effort may not quite match that one, but it includes the same ingredients that powered that picture, including smart dialogue, compelling characters, a wicked sense of humor and a towering turn from Gleeson. His Father James is a marvelous creation, and the actor provides the crucial core of humanity in this servant of God who tries to stand tall even as the world around him burns to the ground.
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This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.
He wasn’t a good priest. He didn’t cry for the kids who were abused by the Church. He was detached. There wasn’t just one character in the film who was abused by priests. Watch the film again and count them. He was killed because he wasn’t compassionate. Nor was the Church which preferred its symbols like cassocks and displays of authority to a real human reaching out to victims. Oh, Fr. James was at times understanding but could also shout at people when they needed real help. That’s the problem with people acting like they’re psychiatrists when they’re not. There is no good priest when they protect the Church above protecting kids. It was clearly pointed out that he represented the Church. No decent person should when they protect pedophiles. They also protected bankers and condemned the wrong people as you may have done in your assessment of the villagers. They still do. This film is one half of the horror of growing up in Ireland. The other half is what happened to young women. Sinead Ó Connor knew. If she were a character in the town you would have probably thought her another foul person. There are many, many levels to this film and it worth seeing again and again. It is a shout out of ‘Why don’t you care?’ from victims of pedophilia. Irish people have a very good reason to be bitter. It’s not easy living in a Theocracy.
I agree that there are many levels to this movie. While watching it, and at the climax, I was at times depressed, bored, and annoyed. That was 4 hours ago. As the evening wears on, the damn thing is growing in my gut, and I think I may have to force myself to watch it again because I know that I missed even more layers and nuances and shadows than I have been thinking about for the past hours. Some of the critics have used the terms “comedy” and “humor” in their reviews. While there are bits of everyday human irony and, yes, humor, don’t go into this thinking it’s a happy clappy film. It’s anything but.
Is it possible that the unfulfilled daughter, and betrayed butcher, share something in common..that in the end, or over time, perhaps create a bond that unites them not in forgiveness, but something else..united by a bond that results in passion, and simply the end result of the pain the results from disappointment, hurt, and expectations unfulfilled??