Movie No. 28 (2015): CALVARY
Calvary (2014)
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson
The first scene shows a priest in a confessional listening to a parishioner who relates he was sexually abused by a now-dead priest. This sets the tone of the narrative. The "confession" concludes with the parishioner threatening to kill this priest (with whom he shares his story) the following Sunday. The priest in the confessional recognizes the parishioner's voice. The audience don't. This threat makes the movie captivating and suspenseful.
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson
The first scene shows a priest in a confessional listening to a parishioner who relates he was sexually abused by a now-dead priest. This sets the tone of the narrative. The "confession" concludes with the parishioner threatening to kill this priest (with whom he shares his story) the following Sunday. The priest in the confessional recognizes the parishioner's voice. The audience don't. This threat makes the movie captivating and suspenseful.
The days before Sunday, the priest attends to his routine priestly duties. We get to met an intricate set of characters. I imagine these characters as microcosm of the "fallen society." The priest is good, but he has to live with the stigma that priests are pedophiles while he remains loyal to his faith and service. This is translated very well in the movie's narrative using effectively the language and grammar of cinema. Brendan Gleeson's performance is assured, sincere, and monumental. The cinematography is itself a "character," i.e., something the movie can't do without.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: May 21, 2015
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