Calvary is an
intimate comedy drama from Director John Michael McDonagh. Father Jim Lavelle
(Brendan Gleeson) is threatened with murder during a confession and given a
week to put his affairs in order. With his estranged daughter coming to visit
after a failed suicide attempt, Lavelle spends the intervening week wandering
through his hometown, paying visits to the various inhabitants who know him,
love him, or loathe him. These encounters, coupled with incidents targeted at
the priest – including the burning down of his church – grow more bizarre and
more intense, slowly wearing him down as he attempts to come to terms with his
imminent death.
The beating heart of the film is truly Gleeson’s
performance, which strikes the perfect balance between a man struggling to keep
peace with his faith while trying to reconcile with those he loves. His gruff,
grizzled exterior gives way to a world-weary and ultimately good-natured man
who - like many priests claim to, but
very rarely deliver on – genuinely wants the best for everyone, whether they be
the Aidan Gillen as the sneering atheist surgeon or a boy locked in prison for
committing an unspeakable crime. There are also standout performances from the
supporting cast, Chris O’Dowd (who seems to be going through a something of a
career renaissance) in particular lending a much needed and surprisingly ironic
touch of humour to the proceedings.
The cinematography is extraordinary, Larry Smith capturing
both the raw beauty and overwhelming isolation of the landscape, in a way that
is gorgeously cinematic and retains a starkly realistic aesthetic. This is
complimented with a well-placed musical score courtesy of Patrick Cassidy,
which is restrained and often unused in the more intimate scenes, and is
hauntingly visceral when the camera is sweeping the landscapes and as the story
reaches its uncompromising finale.
On the down side, it’s a shame to admit that the blend of
comedy with the darker elements doesn’t quite work, often feeling
forced and somewhat misjudged. Also the comedic side of the film is spread too
thinly over an array of increasingly impenetrable and occasionally irritating
side characters, perhaps best personified in the police chief’s incessantly
obnoxious lover who spends all his scenes talking in a gratingly annoying faux
Italian-American accent. Some of the dialogue feels a little patchy in places,
yet again leading to a feeling of distance from the side characters, which
could be seen as a way to reflect Jim’s increasing distance from them, but
feels more accidental than intentional.
Calvary is a
well-intentioned film that is strengthened by an extraordinary central
performance by Brendan Gleeson and a gorgeous mixture of cinematography and
music that redeems the slightly misjudged pieces and the out of place side
characters, making what could have been merely an admirable failure and turning
it into an unflinchingly dark drama set against an enticingly bleak landscape.
Much like Noah is not a film about
religion, but a film about madness and destruction, Calvary is not about spiritual faith, but the faith people place in
each other.
3 Stars
3 Stars
