CALVARY (review)

Review by Elizabeth Robbins

Calvary
(Cal·va·ry/ˈkalv(ə)rē/)

1  The hill outside Jerusalem on which Jesus was crucified.

1.1  (as noun, a calvary) A sculpture or picture representing the scene of the Crucifixion.

Just in case you were wondering, no, it’s not a film about horses.

Calvary is the story of a small village priest, Father James (Brendan Gleeson,), who hears a startling confession. An unknown parishioner tells Father James that he is going to kill him in 7 days because he had been raped by another priest when he was a child.

Even though Father James is innocent, the unknown man intends to kill him.  

Calvary follows Father James for the next week as he tries to make a difference in the lives of the people of his parish.

During this time he is faced with the disenchantment, cynicism, and in some cases outright hostility of the people he tries to help. To add to his burden, Father James’s daughter (from his marriage before he became a priest) has come to visit him looking for solace after a failed suicide attempt.

As the days count down, Father James’s faith in his calling, his fellow human beings, and God are tested. In the end, he chooses to face his fate. He meets his killer at the appointed time. He puts his faith in his vocation, and tries to save the lost soul of his killer.

Calvary is a beautifully made film, which is character driven. Brendan Gleeson is a truly underrated actor. It is not every actor who can stand up to a 5 minute close-up shot and have you believe that you are watching a real person. Gleeson does this magnificently. He carries the viewer along his journey and you feel every hit he takes, both physically and emotionally.

Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh (The Guard) balances drama and black humor, giving the film a full spectrum of emotion so that is not a typical, soul-sucking downer that many Irish films prove to be. Aiden Gillen is the village doctor, who has become numb to the death he sees on a daily basis. He delivers one of the darkest soliloquies in the film, and then turns on a dime to a ridiculous segue to lighten the moment, which then makes the next scene all the more dark. It’s a masterful roller coaster ride.

Although the main character of the film is a religious man; it is more than a film about a loss of religious faith. It is about how we as a society are losing our faith in each other. It’s about how an older man can’t have conversation with a young child without people drawing the wrong conclusion.

It is heartbreaking to watch Father James genuinely try and make a difference in his parish. However, past crimes of other priest and of the church color the views of the villagers. They don’t see the man behind the frock, only the negative things it represents.

Calvary is not an easy film to watch, but the performances of the cast and the questions it makes us ask ourselves is well worth it.