Calvary (film)

Calvary

A priest standing by the shore, a wave crashing behind him.

Movie poster
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
Produced by
  • Chris Clark
  • Flora Fernandez-Marengo
  • James Flynn
Written by John Michael McDonagh
Starring
Music by Patrick Cassidy
Cinematography Larry Smith
Edited by Chris Gill
Production
companies
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Momentum Pictures
Release dates
  • 19 January 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance)
  • 11 April 2014 (2014-04-11)
Running time
 101 minutes[1][2]
Country
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom[3]
Language English
Box office $16.9 million[4]

Calvary is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran and Isaach de Bankolé. The film began production in September 2012 and was released in April 2014[5] in Ireland and the United Kingdom, in July in Australia and August 2014 in the United States. The film was screened at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival[6] and at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]

Plot

In a confessional, an unseen parishioner talks to Father James about his horrific childhood sexual abuse by a priest. He says he will kill James at the beach the next Sunday, because James is a good man and it would be worse and more disconcerting for the Catholic Church than killing a bad priest; in any case, the offender has already died. He gives James a week in order to settle all of his affairs at the parish. James later tells Bishop Garret Montgomery what happened and that he knows the parishoner. Bishop Montgomery comments that there was no confession since there was no formal prayer and the man was not repentant. He leaves it up to James whether or not he should go to the police.

James' daughter Fiona comes to visit from London after a failed suicide attempt. She had felt abandoned by her mother and James ever since he became a priest when her mother died. Fiona and James know they love each other, and try to repair their relationship.

James hears that local butcher Jack Brennan has hit his wife Veronica, who's having an affair, and James confronts Jack. Jack denies having hit her, and blames Veronica's Ivorian lover, Simon. James then visits several people, including an elderly American writer and Inspector Stanton, whose houseguest is apparently a male prostitute named Leo who makes lewd advances on James before leaving. James obtains a gun from the Inspector at the request of the writer, who had explained he would rather take his own life than get old and feeble.

James is also visited at the church by a socially awkward young man, Milo, who is trying to decide between committing suicide or joining the army, as he feels a lot of rage and anger that he hasn't yet had sex. Milo and James discuss whether killing, and learning to kill, are immoral, as James attempts to talk Milo out of both joining the army and committing suicide.

A lonely and unpleasant millionaire, Michael Fitzgerald, asks James to visit him in his large house outside of town. He tells James that most of his money is illegal and he wants to donate some of it to the church; however, James does not believe that Fitzgerald actually feels guilt. Before James leaves, Michael drunkenly urinates on the painting The Ambassadors, to show his contempt for his wealth, and since he made pursuit of wealth his life's purpose, his contempt for himself.

James is then called to the hospital where he is asked to perform the last rites for a Frenchman who was critically wounded in a car accident. After performing the rites, James comforts Teresa, the wife of the dead man who accepts her husband's death and says that death is unfair to people who haven't felt love. The two then pray together. On his way out, James is teased by the atheist doctor Frank Harte, who has an extremely blase view towards death.

James also visits a convict, Freddie Joyce, who, it is suggested, killed several women and ate them; James tries to persuade him to tell him the location of an (uneaten) body buried in the woods but Freddie cannot remember. Although he asks for forgiveness, James accuses him of not truly feeling guilt and that God can't understand him.

Later at the pub, James sees Veronica and Harte doing cocaine but doesn't admonish them. While in the pub, the townsfolk see the local church burning down. However, when they go outside many of them do not seem especially concerned or even told James of the fire before they noticed. Later, Michael donates money to assuage his conscience.

While walking with his daughter, James tells her he loves her and promises to never abandon her. Later that night, James finds that his dog has had his throat cut. Crying over this loss, he buries his dog in the back garden. The next day, his daughter leaves. While walking in the countryside afterwards, James strikes up conversation with a young girl. However, when her father sees them he orders his daughter to get in the car and yells at James, believing him to be a paedophile.

At the pub, James talks to Frank Harte, the atheist doctor, who relates how a 3-year-old child was made permanently deaf, mute, paralyzed and blind after botched anesthesia; Harte seems to take pleasure in the pain of the situation. James is offended and angered by Harte's story and almost attacks him. When Harte has left James has several more drinks. When he refuses to leave at closing time and is pressured by Brendan Lynch, the barman, James pulls out the gun he got for the writer. Brendan does not believe he will kill him, so James shoots several times at the bar and then, when out of ammunition, aims at Brendan. In response, Brendan pulls out and wields a baseball bat.

A battered James returns home where he lashes out at Father Leary, calling him naive. Father Leary is so offended he decides to leave the next morning. James decides to leave as well, packs a suitcase, and goes to the airport. While there he meets Teresa and they talk. Seeing her husband's coffin by the aircraft on the tarmac convinces James to return home.

On Sunday, James heads to the beach. On the way he meets his writer friend, who has just finished his book; James tells him he is a very good writer. He then calls Fiona, telling her that people look too much at sins and not enough on virtues. He believes that forgiveness is the most important virtue, which he sees as constantly underrated. Fiona agrees and they make their peace with each other.

At the beach, James throws away the gun, waits, and briefly talks to Michael, who admits to feeling detached from life. A surprised James comforts him and promises to come and visit him later. Michael leaves and James waits on the beach, whereupon Jack appears with a gun approaching James.

Jack confesses to burning down the church, and to hitting Veronica; however, he denies having killed James's dog. Jack asks if James cried for the dog, and James says he did, and Jack then asks whether James cried for the children whom priests abused. When James admits he didn't, that he felt simply detached from the whole matter, an angry Jack shoots James in the stomach. The altar boy who is painting a scene of the beach runs toward them; Jack points his gun at the boy, and James shouts out to the boy to run away. James tells Jack it is not too late to stop, but Jack says it is. When Jack tells him to say his prayers, James replies that he already had. Jack then shoots James point blank in the head, and walks away. The parishoners are then seen going about their daily lives: the writer is seen by the river eating an ice cream bar, Veronica and Simon in bed together, Inspector Stanton examining bank notes, Michael drinking and contemplating, Dr. Harte puting out his cigarette on a human organ, a pensive Leo sitting on one side of the bed after his latest tryst, the bruised Brendan drinking, Father Leary reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and Milo signing up to join the army. Teresa is then seen on a plane, making the sign of the cross.

Later, Fiona visits Jack in prison. As Fiona and Jack, separated by a glass panel, pick up their intercom phones, the film ends.

Cast

Production

Development

McDonagh conceived the idea for Calvary and wrote the screenplay while filming The Guard with Gleeson in late 2009. McDonagh explained the intentions he had for the film: "There are probably films in development about priests which involve abuse. My remit is to do the opposite of what other people do, and I wanted to make a film about a good priest." He elaborates that it is tonally "in the same darkly comedic vein as The Guard, but with a much more serious and dramatic narrative."[13] Gleeson's casting was announced in October 2011.[13] The casting of Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly and Aidan Gillen was announced in February 2012,[9] while further casting was announced in August 2012.[11]

Principal photography

Filming began on 24 September 2012.[10] The production spent three weeks shooting in and around County Sligo primarily in the town of Easkey where the film is set and also on the Streedagh beach in north county Sligo, with some shooting in Ardgillan Castle Balbriggan Dublin followed by two weeks of filming in Rush, Dublin.[11]

Reception

Box office

Calvary had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[6] Fox Searchlight secured distribution rights for the US and select international territories.[14] Calvary made its European premiere at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival[7] and its Irish premiere as the gala opening of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival on February 13, 2014.[15] The film earned $16.9 million worldwide.[4]

Critical response

Calvary received positive reviews from critics and has a "certified fresh" score of 89% on Rotten tomatoes based on 144 reviews with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10. The critical consensus states "Led by a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson, Calvary tackles weighty issues with humour, intelligence, and sensitivity."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[17]

Justin Chang of Variety magazine praised Gleeson for his soulful performance, called the film a "masterful follow-up to The Guard", and predicted near-certain critical plaudits into a distinguished arthouse reception for the film.[18] Tim Griersen of Screen International also praised Gleeson for his performance and the film, calling it "A rich character drama that's equally eloquent and despairing,Calvary carries a weary resignation that feels lived-in and deeply considered." He cautions that the film might prove to be a hard sell as it examines religious faith and does not fit in an easily marketable genre.[1] Xan Brooks of the Guardian comments on the self-referential nature of the film, and also calls the film "terrific (at least until the denouement, when it rather strains for grandeur)". Brooks gives the film 4/5.[19]

Praising Calvary for its treatment of its weighty thematic elements, Lauren Ely for First Things wrote: "Is it possible for a film to capture the horror of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church while at the same time presenting a case for the necessity of the institutional priesthood? Against all odds, this is exactly what Irish director John Michael McDonagh's Calvary manages to do."[20]

In his review, cultural commentator Fr. Robert Barron writes that the film "shows, with extraordinary vividness, what authentic spiritual shepherding looks like and how it feels for a priest to have a shepherd's heart."[21]

Awards

Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
British Independent Film Awards December 7, 2014 Best British Independent Film Calvary Nominated [22]
Best Director John Michael McDonagh Nominated
Best Actor Brendan Gleeson Won
Best Screenplay John Michael McDonagh Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival February 17, 2014 Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Calvary Won [23]
European Film Awards December 13, 2014 European Actor Brendan Gleeson Nominated [24]
Irish Film and Television Awards April 5, 2014 Best Film Calvary Won [25]
Best Lead Actor - Film Brendan Gleeson Won
Best Screenplay - Film John Michael McDonagh Won
Best Director - Film John Michael McDonagh Nominated
Best Supporting Actress - Film Orla O'Rourke Nominated
Best Original Score Patrick Cassidy Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 Tim Grierson (20 January 2014). "Calvary". Screen International.
  2. ↑ "CALVARY | British Board of Film Classification". Bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  3. ↑ http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=47115
  4. 1 2 "Calvary". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Brendan Gleeson Gets Threatened For Being Too Nice In Calvary Trailer". CinemaBlend.com. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  6. 1 2 "'Calvary' & 'The Last Days of Peter Bergmann' join 'Frank' at Sundance 2014". Film Ireland. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "| Berlinale | Archive | Annual Archives | 2014 | Programme - Calvary". Berlinale.de. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Kemp, Stuart (9 February 2012). "Berlin 2012: Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd and Aidan Gillen Sign Up for John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Tartaglione, Nancy (9 February 2012). "Protagonist To Proffer John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary': Berlin". deadline.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  10. 1 2 Hall, Eva (3 October 2012). "John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary' Begins Filming as Dylan Moran Joins Cast". iftn.ie. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cummins, Steve (23 August 2012). "Exclusive: John Michael McDonagh Confirms 'Calvary' Production Date". iftn.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Kemp, Stuart (2 October 2012). "'Calvary': Dylan Moran, Marie Josée Crozé and Isaach De Bankolé Join the John Michael McDonagh Film". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  13. 1 2 Lyttleton, Oliver (21 October 2011). "'The Guard' Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh Reteaming With Brendan Gleeson For Drama 'Calvary'". blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012. around the same mark as the $7m budget
  14. ↑ "Sundance Update: Fox Searchlight Lands Brendan Gleeson Pic ‘Calvary’". Deadline.com. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Irish film Calvary to open Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2014". Joe.ie. 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Calvary". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  17. ↑ "Calvary Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  18. ↑ Justin Chang (20 January 2014). "Sundance Film Review: ‘Calvary’". Variety.
  19. ↑ Xan Brooks (20 January 2014). "Calvary: Sundance 2014 – first look review". Guardian [UK].
  20. ↑ Ely, Lauren. "The Scandal of Calvary". www.firstthings.com. First Things. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Barron, Robert. ""CALVARY" AND A PORTRAIT OF A REAL PRIEST". www.wordonfire.org. Word on Fire Article. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "Keira Knightly and Benedict Cumberbatch among British Independent Film nominees". Daily Mail. November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Irish film CALVARY wins independent jury award at the Berlin Film Festival". Irish Film Board. February 17, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Brendan Gleeson Nominated For 2014 European Film Award". IFTN. November 11, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ "IFTA 2014 WINNERS". IFTA Academy. Retrieved December 13, 2014.

External links

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