Actor Brendan Gleeson and director John Michael McDonagh first teamed up for 2011’s enjoyable comic thriller The Guard. They are now re-united in glorious fashion for the newly released Calvary. Gleeson plays Father James Lavelle, a middle-aged Irishman who has become a Catholic priest, following the lingering and painful death of his wife. The story centres on a week of his life where he tries go about his usual business doing good in his parish despite being told in confessional that he will be killed in a weeks time.
We don’t see the potential assailant but James claims he knows who he is. However, he shows no sign of knowing as the dramatic events of that week are played out. As well as encountering a varied bunch of eccentric parishioners – including characters played by Chris O’Dowd, M. Emmett Walsh, Aiden Gillan, and Dylan Moran – he also receives a visit from his beautiful but emotionally damaged daughter.
This easily could have been either a completely bleak movie or played more obviously for laughs. Instead it manages to deftly walk the line between comedy and tragedy. Initially the locals come across as quirky types who could have stepped out from an episode of Ballykissangel. As the story unfolds they all reveal much darker sides to their character. The relationship with his daughter Fiona does not follow a predictable arc, although there remains an inevitability to her unseen fate once the film ends. It is a terrific performance by Kelly Reilly.
Peppered with smart and funny lines, the script also brilliantly examines themes such as faith, forgiveness, domestic violence, the recent economic decline of Ireland, and child abuse by Catholic priests. The film builds to a tragic dramatic climax which will leave you thinking about it for some time to come.
As well as being a great film a couple of things at least will make you want to revisit it. McDonagh claims there is a visual clue to the identity of a killer, which I missed. In the final moments, in a montage of shots, there is a strange image of a priest that requires freeze framing when the DVD comes out! However, don’t wait for that, this is a must see at the cinema for a compelling original story and a wonderful central performance by Gleeson.
Rating: 9 out of 10