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'Calvary' (15)


****

During a confession, Father James is threatened by a member of his parish. The man was brutally raped for many years as a child and is now seeking revenge upon the Catholic Church - his revenge will be the murder of Father James, a good and innocent priest. The would-be murderer gives Father James one week to prepare himself before the pair meet at the designated spot, on the shoreline.

This is an incredibly dark film - there is suicide, adultery, a tragic road accident, drug abuse and violence, but yet somehow the film isn't depressing and is frequently humorous. Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is at the heart of a small Irish community that is apparently tearing itself apart - each character is apparently a sinner in one respect or another - and he has taken it upon himself to try and help each of these unhappy misfits. Gleeson is outstanding in his role - he is in every single scene, and he remains perfectly in character throughout. He never raises his voice, apart from one rather heart breaking scene, and retains his aura of calm even as the day of his murder approaches.

John Michael McDonagh writes as well as directs, and his script is excellent - it is unusually eloquent and moving, boarding on Shakespearean at times, and you really have to concentrate on what is being sad to grasp some of the 'jokes', as well as the philosophical debates going on. He has crafted each of the characters very well - there are quite a few candidates for the would-be murderer that we have to get through, as well as Father James' suicidal daughter, Fiona (Kelly Reilly), but whereas some writers would leave certain roles underwritten, we fully engage with each suspect. Chris O'Dowd and Dylan Moran cast aside their comic stereotypes to play two very miserable men, both having family woes, whilst Aidan Gillen plays the atheist doctor who dabbles in cocaine. Each character, apart from Father James and Fiona, is inherently untrustworthy - none of them seem to have much decency left, which keeps you guessing right up to the last moment who the killer will be. There is one scene in particular that really stands out in my mind, and that is the moment in which Father James goes to visit an ex-pupil of his, Freddie Joyce, who brutally killed and ate some young women whilst on an LSD trip. Not only is Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Joyce, excellent, but the whole scene is a masterclass in how to write and film a soul-searching conversation between two people.

Don't go into this film expecting a cheery and light-hearted affair, but do not let that discourage you from seeing what is one of the best films I have seen this year. It is bleak and I couldn't relax for the duration, just waiting for someone to commit suicide, or die from a drugs overdose, but it is strangely enjoyable, and definitely moving.

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