Calvary

Flying back to New York I saw the movie Calvary. A brilliant film. The film takes place in Ireland with an Irish cast lead by Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges and The Guard) who plays the parish priest Father James.   The village is located in Strandhill, Siligo County which is a surfing town (Irish surfing, who knew).

As all good Catholics, and the not so good ones, know Calvary is the place where Christ suffered and died on the cross. Suffering defines this village. Whether as victims or perpetrators Father James is the recipient of their vindictiveness and disillusions.  Rather than being an evangelical priest he is weighted down by the sins and ridicules of the villagers.  Whatever advice or consultation he gives them comes to naught and often returned with scorn.

 The villagers are a miserable bunch. There are fornicators, adulators, malcontents, felons and cannibals (correction one cannibal). Their divergent stories have Father James as the focal point and his attempts and failures to manage these situations make this an engaging story. The problems are divergent ranging from hopelessness to vindictive anger.

Brendan Gleeson plays Father James a subdued priest who is defeated and lacks the will to fight. His passiveness contrasts with his formidable physical presence and is a metaphor for the demise of the once powerful church. A potent symbol of demise is his church is burned down.  Gleeson plays the role pitch perfect.  His performance is sublime.

Chris O’Dowd plays the town butcher. O’Dowd usually plays the lad with the snappy witty remarks (a la Bridesmaid). Here he plays a dramatic role and is outstanding. The role is emotionally demanding and O’Dowd delivers.

All the other actors give great performances and as an ensemble their collaboration is cohesive resulting in an outstanding film. One actor of note is M. Emmet Walsh plays a writer and is friends with Father James. Walsh plays a crusty old codger and provides a bit of humor. I thought he was dead, this is why he was perfect for the role.

To see Calvary either go to On Demand or get it from Netflix (or you can take a flight somewhere). The  effort is worth it. Have faith.