CALVARY
Starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Aidan Gillen
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
You'd imagine that the stones in this tiny Irish town rest easy, content that none of the residents are sufficiently free of sin to toss them about. But then again, the townsfolk don't seem particularly keen on adhering to scripture.
Father Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) is the parish priest charged with hearing their confessions through sacrament and casual conversation. It's inside his church that an obscured figure promises to kill Lavelle in a week's time as an overdue reprisal for being molested by a priest as a child. Accepting his fate of dying for someone else's transgressions, Lavelle embarks on a seven-day death march that introduces the cuckolds (Chris O'Dowd), atheists (Aidan Gillen), miscreants (Dylan Moran) and other lost causes he calls neighbours. Of course, his would-be killer also lurks amongst his flock.
Whereas The Guard, Gleeson's first collaboration with writer-director John Michael McDonagh, employed a fish out of water (Don Cheadle) to introduce Irish mores and attitudes, Calvary throws us into the tumultuous deep-end of issues concerning the church and authority. The deep-seated contempt for the institution Lavelle represents becomes increasingly apparent as his tormentors' playful jibes grow pointed. Gleeson is magnificent here as he evinces the emotional wounds inflicted. It's heart-wrenching to witness his resolve slipping for but a moment, leaving him to succumb to old demons.
Having the courage of his convictions, McDonagh orchestrates a passion play that skilfully shifts between Western and mystery tropes while leavening the solemn fatalism with instances of humour. Calvary never puts a foot wrong, earns every moment, and restores our faith that provocative, philosophical entertainment may not be a thing of the past.
