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Calvary (2014 film)

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Calvary
A priest standing by the shore, a wave crashing behind him.
Movie poster
Directed byJohn Michael McDonagh
Written byJohn Michael McDonagh
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLarry Smith
Edited byChris Gill
Music byPatrick Cassidy
Production
companies
Distributed byEntertainment One[1]
Release dates
  • 19 January 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance)
  • 11 April 2014 (2014-04-11)
Running time
101 minutes[2][3]
Countries
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom[4]
LanguageEnglish
Box office$16.9 million[5]

Calvary is a 2014 Irish-British drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Domhnall Gleeson, M. Emmet Walsh and Isaach de Bankolé. The film began production in September 2012 and was released in April 2014[6] in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, in July in Australia and in August 2014 in the United States.

The film was screened at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival[7] and at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[8]

Plot

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Father James accepts confession from an unseen person, a victim of priest sexual abuse. The confessor says their abuser is dead and the Catholic community is largely indifferent, so they will murder an innocent priest to draw greater outrage. The confessor gives James until next Sunday to put his affairs in order.

Bishop Montgomery advises James to inform the police: the sin is pending and forgiveness wasn't sought, so James wouldn't break the seal of confession. James is visited by Fiona, his daughter from his pre-ordination marriage. James mentions her attempted suicide, but she blames it on her ex-boyfriend. James continues his parish duties, encountering antagonism from many locals.

James hears butcher Jack Brennan has hit his wife, Veronica, for having an affair with mechanic Simon. Jack blames Simon, and the couple attests they want a divorce. Simon refuses to talk with James, citing violent missions in his native Africa. James struggles to discuss Simon with Father Leary, who suggests ignoring everything as Simon could accuse them of racism.

James takes supplies to Gerald, an elderly American writer working in a cottage. Gerald asks James bring him a gun, afraid of succumbing to pain or senility. James visits Inspector Stanton and borrows an antique revolver from The Troubles. Stanton confides that he once arrested a priest on rape accusations, but was reassigned while the priest escaped as a missionary. Banker Michael Fitzgerald requests a house visit from James. Michael drunkenly brags about his exploitative wealth, bemoans detachment from his family and reality, and insults James. James responds that penance requires seeking forgiveness; Fitzgerald responds by urinating on a rare painting.

At the hospital, James performs the last rites for a fatally injured tourist. He comforts his widow, Teresa, who bravely accepts her husband's death. James visits cannibal prisoner Freddie Joyce, who is flippant about his crimes but still asks for forgiveness. James accuses Joyce of insincerity, but pities that nobody can understand him if not God.

While everyone is at a village pub gathering, the church is destroyed in arson. Montgomery blames James' would-be killer and presses him to report them; James refuses, noting every villager has grievances with him or the church. Fitzgerald offers a large sum for a new church, to the delight of Leary and the distaste of James. Fiona confronts James, saying he abandoned her after her mother's death, first by alcohol and then by priesthood. James apologizes and they embrace. That night, James finds his dog, Bruno, dead with his throat cut. James tearfully buries Bruno, concealing his death from Fiona as she departs.

At the pub, James is mocked by the locals and relapses. James drunkenly destroys the bar with the revolver, before fighting publican Brendan. Leary finds James, bloody and drunk, and chides him as Brendan is Buddhist; James berates Leary's ignorance and his uselessness as a priest. James wakes to find Leary entering a taxi. Leary confesses religious doubts and James apologizes, telling Leary he doesn't hate him but that Leary has no integrity.

James decides to fly to Dublin, but happens across Teresa. Seeing her husband's coffin being disrespected by airport staff, James returns to his parish. On Sunday, James meets Gerald; Gerald boasts he finished his book, and James wishes him luck. James calls Fiona, saying sin is considered too much over virtue and forgiveness, and they fully reconcile. James throws the revolver off a cliff, only for a suicidal Fitzgerald to appear. James promises to visit later, and embraces the tearful Fitzgerald.

James waits on the beach as butcher Jack Brennan appears with a gun. Jack confesses to arson and hitting Veronica, but denies killing Bruno. Hearing James' remorse for Bruno, Jack asks if he cried for children abused by priests. James admits feeling detached, and Jack shoots and wounds him; an altar boy witnesses the shot and runs for help. James assures Jack it's not too late to stop. Jack tells James to say his prayers; James says he already has, and Jack executes him.

In brief tableaux, the parishioners and Teresa go about their quotidian lives. The final scene ends as Fiona visits Jack in prison, both picking up their phone handsets as it cuts to black.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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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."[14] Gleeson's casting was announced in October 2011.[14] The casting of Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly and Aidan Gillen was announced in February 2012,[10] while further casting was announced in August 2012.[12]

Principal photography

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Filming began on 24 September 2012.[11] 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.[12]

Reception

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Box office

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Calvary had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[7] Fox Searchlight secured distribution rights for the US and select international territories.[15] Calvary made its European premiere at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival[8] and its Irish premiere as the gala opening of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival on 13 February 2014.[16] The film earned $16.9 million worldwide.[5]

Critical response

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Calvary received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 158 reviews with an average rating of 7.6/10. The critical consensus states "Led by a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson, Calvary tackles weighty issues with humour, intelligence, and sensitivity."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 42 critics.[18]

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 at a distinguished arthouse reception for the film.[19] 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.[2] 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.[20]

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."[21] In his review, the cultural commentator and Catholic bishop 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."[22]

Xan Brooks in The Guardian compared it to a mysterious and surreal retelling of the Passion.[23]

Awards

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Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
British Independent Film Awards 7 December 2014 Best British Independent Film Calvary Nominated [24]
Best Director John Michael McDonagh Nominated
Best Actor Brendan Gleeson Won
Best Screenplay John Michael McDonagh Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival 17 February 2014 Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Calvary Won [25]
European Film Awards 13 December 2014 European Actor Brendan Gleeson Nominated [26]
Irish Film and Television Awards April 5, 2014 Best Film Calvary Won [27]
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
Saturn Award June 25, 2015 Best International Film Calvary Nominated [28]

References

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  1. ^ "Calvary (2014)". Irish Film Classification Office. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Tim Grierson (20 January 2014). "Calvary". Screen International.
  3. ^ "CALVARY | British Board of Film Classification". Bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  4. ^ "LUMIERE : Film #47115 : Calvary".
  5. ^ a b "Calvary". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Brendan Gleeson Gets Threatened For Being Too Nice In Calvary Trailer". CinemaBlend.com. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b "'Calvary' & 'The Last Days of Peter Bergmann' join 'Frank' at Sundance 2014". Film Ireland. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  8. ^ a b "| Berlinale | Archive | Annual Archives | 2014 | Programme - Calvary". Berlinale.de. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b c d Tartaglione, Nancy (9 February 2012). "Protagonist To Proffer John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary': Berlin". deadline.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  11. ^ a b Hall, Eva (3 October 2012). "John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary' Begins Filming as Dylan Moran Joins Cast". iftn.ie. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Cummins, Steve (23 August 2012). "Exclusive: John Michael McDonagh Confirms 'Calvary' Production Date". iftn.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ a b Lyttleton, Oliver (21 October 2011). "'The Guard' Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh Reteaming With Brendan Gleeson For Drama 'Calvary'". blogs.indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012. around the same mark as the $7m budget
  15. ^ "Sundance Update: Fox Searchlight Lands Brendan Gleeson Pic 'Calvary'". Deadline.com. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Irish film Calvary to open Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2014". Joe.ie. 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  17. ^ "Calvary". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Calvary Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  19. ^ Justin Chang (20 January 2014). "Sundance Film Review: 'Calvary'". Variety.
  20. ^ Xan Brooks (20 January 2014). "Calvary: Sundance 2014 – first look review". The Guardian. London.
  21. ^ Ely, Lauren (5 August 2014). "The Scandal of Calvary". www.firstthings.com. First Things. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  22. ^ Barron, Robert (9 September 2014). ""Calvary" and a Portrait of a Real Priest". www.wordonfire.org. Word on Fire Article. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  23. ^ Brooks, Xan (13 April 2014). "Calvary review – 'a terrific black comedy that touches greatness'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Winners Nominations · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Irish film CALVARY wins independent jury award at the Berlin Film Festival". Irish Film Board. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Brendan Gleeson Nominated For 2014 European Film Award". IFTN. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  27. ^ "IFTA 2014 WINNERS". IFTA Academy. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  28. ^ "2015 Saturn Awards: 'Captain America: Winter Soldier,' 'Walking Dead' lead nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
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