Should You Watch? - Calvary (2014)

An Everyday José's Thoughts on Movies

I’d like to start this review by stating I am in no way a movie critic and have no intention of being one. I’m just your everyday José who has too much time on his hands and has seen a lot of movies. I think it would be quite enjoyable to maybe once every week or so write about a movie I’ve seen, and who knows maybe it will allow you to see a movie you otherwise wouldn’t have seen.

Calvary Is a black comedy from the mind of John Michael McDonagh. - older brother of another black comedy enthusiast Martin McDonagh - The film begins when local Sligo priest Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is taking the confession of a man. The confessor tells Father James that he was abused by a priest when he was younger, and that’s me putting it lightly, the first words spoken in the film is "I first tasted semen when I was seven-years-old." so you kinda get a feeling of the kind of film your in for. The unknown confessor gives Father James until Sunday to get his affairs in order and states he knows Father James is a good man but he must pay for the sins of the church.

Calvary then lets you get to know the residents of the small town as you try to work out who it is that plans on killing Father James. It is a who’s who of incredibly talented Irish actors Aidan Gillen, (Game of Thrones) Dylan Moran (Black Books) and Chris O'Dowd (IT Crowd) all feature and keeps you guessing throughout the movie. Calvary poses questions about religion and faith the townsfolk are often cynical of Father James, flaunting their sins in front of him and openly mocking his beliefs with no attempt to hide their disdain for the catholic church.

Should you watch?

Definitely yes, Calvary is a great movie and Brendan Gleeson is fantastic as always. The movie doesn’t shy away from the controversy that surrounds the catholic church, while also showing a priest who’s the victim of generalisation dealing with his own doubts and flaws and wants nothing more than to help people in a town where very few want to be helped.

I’d highly recommend Calvary and hope you enjoy it if you do decide to watch.