Calvary
Black comedy starring Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) as a good-natured Irish Catholic priest who, while trying to believe the best of his parishioners, is continually shocked by the spiteful and confrontational inhabitants of his small country town. Dark thoughts begin to take over when his life is threatened during confession. Co-stars fellow Irish thespians Chris O'Dowd, Dylan Moran and Kelly Reilly. From the director of The Guard, which also starred Gleeson.
- Director:
- John Michael McDonagh ('The Guard')
- Writer:
- John Michael McDonagh
- Cast:
- Brendan GleesonChris O'DowdKelly ReillyDylan MoranAidan GillenMarie-Josée CrozeDomhnall Gleeson
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Matt Glasby
flicksNamed after the site where Jesus was crucified – though set in rural Ireland – John Michael McDonagh's follow-up to The Guard manages to provoke both thought and laughter, while saying something profound about the human soul.
Watch it at least twice
On first viewing I (and everyone in the audience) was so shocked and engrossed in the story and the characters that I hardly dared to allow myself to laugh at the plentiful humour; instead I concentrated on digesting the brilliant food for thought on offer. On my second viewing I literally laughed my way through the film to the surprise and almost outrage...
So disappointed
I went with a group of five and at the end we laughed because we thought this film so ridiculous. Good points- acting, scenery. Bad points - ludicrous storyline, dark and sinister overtones throughout, so bad it ended up as a joke. I wouldn't care except I'd rather see a decent film if I am going to the trouble to take a group out to the movies. I'd...
A film that stays with you
Always a good sign, a film that has a powerful message on several levels. Set in a somewhat forbidding area of Ireland, raw and bleak, it tells the story of a genuinely Christlike man suffering rejection, scoffing and raw hatred, for which he returns nothing but understanding and compassion towards those who mock and threaten him. A priest at that,...
Another Great McDonagh/Gleeson Movie
That’s what I felt as I walked out of the sixteen seat, boutique room at the Academy Cinema, Auckland, where I watched ‘Calvary.’ The dialogue was intelligently written and weaves its way through the subject religion in a way which I – as a staunch atheist – felt was very accessible and tasteful, something I was worried about. On top of that, thanks to...
Good movie
The atmosphere to this movie is brooding and slightly sinister. The village it is set in manifests a dysfunctional air, and not a little malevolence. This is not a comedy at all...anything but!. But it is very absorbing and draws you in. Recommended. PS Unlike some reviewers, I did not find the ending jarring at all. Rather, I thought it poignant.
I thoroughly enjoyed this brooding,dark engrossing and yes,witty, rather than comical Irish drama/mystery from beginning to end.The acting was sharp,credible and faultless with a winning performance especially from Brendan Gleeson as Father James.In a fanatical world obsessed with sex, violence and super heroes, this performance was a welcome deviation...
Variety
pressThe film offers a mordantly funny survey of small-town iniquity that morphs, almost imperceptibly, into a deeply felt lament for a fallen world.
Total Film
pressAnchored by a truly sensational performance from Gleeson, this unexpected blend of passion play, detective story, rural comedy and serious inquiry into faith is destined for classic status.
Time Out
press[A] wickedly funny black comedy, all fatalism and gallows humour, with both a beating heart and an inquiring mind lingering beneath its tough-guy bluster.
The Guardian
pressIt's puckish and playful, mercurial and clever, rattling with gallows laughter as it paints a portrait of an Irish community that is at once intimate and alienated.
Empire Magazine
pressCalvary is gripping, moving, funny and troubling, down to an uncompromising yet uncynical finish.
Flicks, Matt Glasby
flicksNamed after the site where Jesus was crucified – though set in rural Ireland – John Michael McDonagh's follow-up to The Guard manages to provoke both thought and laughter, while saying something profound about the human soul.
Variety
pressThe film offers a mordantly funny survey of small-town iniquity that morphs, almost imperceptibly, into a deeply felt lament for a fallen world.
Total Film
pressAnchored by a truly sensational performance from Gleeson, this unexpected blend of passion play, detective story, rural comedy and serious inquiry into faith is destined for classic status.
Time Out
press[A] wickedly funny black comedy, all fatalism and gallows humour, with both a beating heart and an inquiring mind lingering beneath its tough-guy bluster.
The Guardian
pressIt's puckish and playful, mercurial and clever, rattling with gallows laughter as it paints a portrait of an Irish community that is at once intimate and alienated.
Empire Magazine
pressCalvary is gripping, moving, funny and troubling, down to an uncompromising yet uncynical finish.
Watch it at least twice
On first viewing I (and everyone in the audience) was so shocked and engrossed in the story and the characters that I hardly dared to allow myself to laugh at the plentiful humour; instead I concentrated on digesting the brilliant food for thought on offer. On my second viewing I literally laughed my way through the film to the surprise and almost...
So disappointed
I went with a group of five and at the end we laughed because we thought this film so ridiculous. Good points- acting, scenery. Bad points - ludicrous storyline, dark and sinister overtones throughout, so bad it ended up as a joke. I wouldn't care except I'd rather see a decent film if I am going to the trouble to take a group out to the movies. I'd...
A film that stays with you
Always a good sign, a film that has a powerful message on several levels. Set in a somewhat forbidding area of Ireland, raw and bleak, it tells the story of a genuinely Christlike man suffering rejection, scoffing and raw hatred, for which he returns nothing but understanding and compassion towards those who mock and threaten him. A priest at that,...
Another Great McDonagh/Gleeson Movie
That’s what I felt as I walked out of the sixteen seat, boutique room at the Academy Cinema, Auckland, where I watched ‘Calvary.’ The dialogue was intelligently written and weaves its way through the subject religion in a way which I – as a staunch atheist – felt was very accessible and tasteful, something I was worried about. On top of that, thanks to...
Good movie
The atmosphere to this movie is brooding and slightly sinister. The village it is set in manifests a dysfunctional air, and not a little malevolence. This is not a comedy at all...anything but!. But it is very absorbing and draws you in. Recommended. PS Unlike some reviewers, I did not find the ending jarring at all. Rather, I thought it poignant.
I thoroughly enjoyed this brooding,dark engrossing and yes,witty, rather than comical Irish drama/mystery from beginning to end.The acting was sharp,credible and faultless with a winning performance especially from Brendan Gleeson as Father James.In a fanatical world obsessed with sex, violence and super heroes, this performance was a welcome deviation...
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