Drama
Ireland,United Kingdom
Calvary is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. The movie follows Father James, a good-natured and well-regarded priest in a small coastal town in Ireland. During a confession, one of his parishioners threatens to kill him in a week's time as retribution for the sexual abuse he suffered as a child by a different priest, who is now dead. Father James spends the rest of the week confronting the dark forces and bitter antagonism that are closing in around him.
Throughout the movie, Father James tries to understand the deep-seated rage of his estranged daughter and reconcile with an unfaithful parishioner, all while preparing to face his impending death. As he goes about his day-to-day routines, he encounters several individuals who represent the different sections of Irish society, each with their own demons and battles to overcome. Father James wrestles with the weight of his own troubled past and the guilt that comes with serving an institution that is now so maligned by scandal.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Brendan Gleeson as Father James, Kelly Reilly as his daughter Fiona, and Chris O'Dowd as a wealthy businessman with marital issues. The movie is gritty, emotional, and darkly humorous, with a haunting score by Patrick Cassidy. Calvary is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of faith, sacrifice, and redemption, and a moving portrait of a man who is willing to face his own death in the service of his beliefs.
