Quite simply one of the best films I have seen in some time. Calvary stars Brendan Gleeson as Father James, a Catholic priest in a small Irish town. The film starts with James in confessional, and the confessor admitting he had been molested and raped by a priest as a youth, for 5 years starting when he was 7. He says that priest is long dead and cannot face justice, but instead he will kill Father James in one week, saying the death of James, a good priest, would send a stronger message than killing a bad one. It is a small Catholic-heavy town, and so James knows everyone and thus knows who is speaking, though we as a viewer do not know his identity.
The next week finds James dealing with his parishioners. He is a good man and a good priest, genuinely caring for his people, though many of them show little respect to him in return. He listens to the unrepentant adulterer, the egotistical millionaire, the convicted murderer, the shameless brother priest, among others, most times acting as simply an open ear while trying not to judge their ways. He also must deal with his daughter who has just attempted suicide (she from his previous marriage before the death of his wife, before he joined the church). The film raises many of the questions our church today is dealing with, and James responds to each with a caring heart and forgiving attitude. At the same time, the viewer sees the days ticking off, knowing his death is approaching, and also knowing one of these people he is seeing every day is the person who will kill him, yet he treats them all equally.
The movie is at times heart-warming and heart-breaking, funny and then tragic. I laughed out loud, and cried a bit too, and the ending is sharp and poignant. The cast is full of recognizable actors, and everyone is on top of their game. A truly tremendous film.
Jons Movie Takes 