Film: Calvary

Kelly Reilly, Brendan Gleeson

Opening with a shocking scene in the confessional plus a memorable quote from St Augustine, “Do not despair, one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume, one of the thieves was damned,” Calvary (written and directed by John Michael McDonagh) is a powerful tale of redemption and forgiveness.

Through the Christ-like character of the parish priest in a small rural Irish community (a stunning performance from Brendan Gleeson) we experience his Via Dolorosa as he journeys towards certain death, an enforced act of reparation for the sins of a paedophile priest. The identity of his executioner is not revealed until the very end of the film, but this is far more than a mere whodunit. The parishioners each represent a different facet of broken humanity, a personification of all that is bad in this close-knit community which stands as a microcosm of the modern world.

Without giving away any spoilers, it is the power of forgiveness that wins through, exemplified by Fr James, who suffers insult and injury with great forbearance and by his daughter, played sensitively by Kelly Reilly (his was a late vocation following the death of his wife).

At first the inclusion of a daughter seems clumsy and contrived, but the final scene only works because of her character and her back story which is revealed gradually as the film progresses. This film was fantastic preparation for Holy Week - provoking, challenging, thoroughly absorbing and superbly written, acted and directed.