Review of Calvary (2014) by Skyler G — 09 Sep 2014

"Calvary" (2014) - A good priest (Brendan Gleeson)receives a sinister death threat, putting a ticking clock on his week. In a community lost to religion, morals and purpose; he tries to do what he can to comfort and rebuild faith within his community despite the dangerous circumstances.

Father James just might be one of the most "good-hearted" characters to crop up in any film this year and that's thanks in large part to Brendan Gleeson. Possibly one of the year's best performances comes in no surprise from this master class actor. What Gleeson brings to the forefront of "Calvary" is a confidence and integrity that seems almost effortless for the actor. What would otherwise be a very challenging role, Gleeson handles with style and adds his own personal experience to the part; hence why he, above all else is reason enough to watch "Calvary".

The film itself, on the other hand, will be a tough pill to swallow for some, as it questions a lot of issues that exist within the Catholic church revolving around violence and child abuse. These topics by their very nature are daring to centralize a film on which is why "Calvary" is as special as it is. It's all about how the direction handles the material. Choosing a good priest as the central character as he communicates with various members of his community and parish is a solid script choice because you can use the community as a catalyst for some audience opinions. In this way, the film moves through many different characters, gathering their opinions which are handled with a lot of intelligence and wit. Because of what Gleeson brings to the lead role, a lot of scenes are even handled in comedic fashion despite their dark tone, not to mention each scene unravels a little more from Father Jame's past.

Some of the issues I had with "Calvary" lie mostly in some uneven acting from the supporting cast. Most actors/actresses weren't totally convincing in their roles and it made for some problematic scenes that also seemed to drag out a little too long past their purpose. Some sequences in context of the first watch were placed to build suspicion as to who the killer might be, unfortunately these scenes don't work upon multiple viewing, further extending the running time. And despite some beautiful cinematography of Ireland, the overall dark tone of the movie in conjunction with the gray color palette of most sequences made the movie a bit of a downer to watch. That being said, based on the subject matter, it's safe to assume that was the intent. So on that note, it's obvious that this movie isn't for everybody but I would definitely recommend it. It's a movie that puts the audience in a place of moral decision-making in regards to both the problems with the church and the necessity of good priests. Its unapologetic and courageous in execution and boasts one of the year's best performances. Give the trailer a watch, if it interests you in any way, give this one a look for some intelligent melancholy.

GRADE: B+.