Calvary is a 2014 Irish film directed by John Michael McDonagh. Rather courageously, the film attempts to paint a portrait of an Ireland in the throes of disillusionment, after the Catholic scandal of 2009 revealed hundreds of cases of sexual abuse of minors… A thorny subject, brilliantly mastered by a stunning Brendan Gleeson!
It all begins in a small village at the foot of Ben Bulben mountain in County Sligo.
Seated in his confessional, Father James Lavelle (played by Brendan Gleeson) listens attentively to a devotee who has come to confess. But the confession takes an unexpected turn: the stranger explains in a tone full of hatred that he was sexually abused for 5 years by members of the Irish Catholic Church. A shocking revelation that leaves the priest speechless, unable to respond to this disturbing revelation…
– Someone has to pay… An innocent priest to add weight… adds the devotee. So I’ll give you 7 days. See you Sunday on the beach, where I’ll kill you…
The bewildered priest finally accepts the appointment… And so begins a long week in which the priest tries to do his utmost to improve everyday life in his village…
Rather daring and irreverent, Calvary is an audacious film that doesn’t beat about the bush to reveal an inconvenient truth… It has to be said that the rather harsh subject is treated with cynicism and realism, thanks to an impeccable Brendan Gleeson. This rather sympathetic and irreproachable priest seems to have kept his faith in God while remaining pragmatic.
Aware of the difficulties of this world, he tries, in his own way, to accompany each inhabitant of the village, and to give them the keys to improve their daily lives… He multiplies his efforts to guide them out of the cynicism and disillusionment in which they have become entangled. But it’s an arduous task: his followers aren’t exactly paragons of virtue…
The film therefore focuses on the 7 days spent by the priest before the macabre appointment scheduled for Sunday… He paints a portrait of an Ireland deeply wounded by the excesses of the church. The inhabitants are undergoing a real “crisis of faith”, where all is indifference and disillusionment.
It’s a subject that’s perfectly dealt with, though at times particularly heavy-handed, even if the humor tries to defuse the prevailing unease as much as possible. A must-see film!
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