Film Review: Calvary (2014) (Patreon)

IMDB 

Calvary is directed by John Michael McDonagh and stars Brendan Gleeson as Father James; a small-town priest in Ireland who during his Sunday confessionals sits across a parishioner who claims to have been abused by a priest as a child and announces he will kill Father James in a week’s time out of revenge. The story then follows Father James as he goes about his week, interacts with the other villagers and connects with his estranged daughter while trying to grapple with the threat against his life. 

The film immediately drew me in with its fantastic soundtrack by Patrick Cassidy which I still listen to from time to time (this medley of 2 variations of Cassidy’s beatitudes is my favorite), and I just love these kinds of stories that are small and contained, yet great in depth and emotion. Bishop Barren has made a video about Calvary called “Calvary and the Underrated Virtue of Forgiveness” that pretty much captures everything that I have to say about it. Ultimately, it’s a story about the importance of forgiveness and the struggle with our virtues and spirituality in a world that seems to become more cynical every day.

Lastly I would add that the cinematography is beautiful and so are the performances. It’s actually been I while since I’ve seen the film but the fact that it’s still stuck with me and that I chose it as the first Movie of the Week should be enough of a recommendation I guess. 

This was my brief review of Calvary. If you haven’t seen the film, I hope you’ll get a chance to check it out. If you have, please let me know your thoughts on it in the comments below (but please be mindful of spoilers)!