John Michael McDonagh's "CALVARY"
A movie review by Dennis, D. McDonald
This 2014 film stars Brendan Gleeson as Father James, a parish priest in a small Irish coastal town who receives a death threat one day while hearing a confession. He’s told that in one week he will be murdered as punishment for sexual abuse the man suffered as a child from other Catholic priests.
Father James then spends the next week interacting with the local citizenry, in and out of the local pub. In the process we learn a lot about a wide variety of the town’s “saints and sinners” both high and low. Some bear grudges, or even hostility, to God, religion, and/or the Church.
Father James takes much of this in stride. He’s lived with his people for many years and has adopted a rather non-judgmental, but always sympathetic demeanor. After all, he has his own crosses to bear, which is one explanation for his own worldview. One factor is that he was married before he became a priest. His wife died, but the daughter from that marriage, now, a young woman, arrives again, bearing resentments for his past behavior—as well as wrist bandages covering a recent suicide attempt.
It’s certainly fair to say that there is not a lot of joy portrayed here but we can’t help but empathize with Father James who definitely comes across as world-weary but human. That’s partly due to Gleeson‘s acting talent—we certainly saw that in Banshees of Inishin—and partly due to the directors approach to storytelling. In other hands this motley group of high and low-lifes might have been played for cheap, laughs or satire, but not here. The pain, sorrow, lack of faith, anger, resentment, and occasional nuttiness displayed act as vignettes representing a range of personalities that often conflict with what Father James represents. These charcters are coupled with masterful photography, intelligently selected music, and the undeniable beauties of an Irish seaside village that also happens to be popular with surfers.
Some reviewers have approached this movie as an allegory or a fable. That’s a possible interpretation, I suppose, but I just was intrigued and occasionally amused. It’s Gleeson’s film, but he is surrounded by an interesting, quirky, but frequently sympathetic mix of characters. Recommended.
Review copyright (c) 2023 by Dennis D. McDonald
