At the end of the film I reflected that this was a far bigger film that I had been expecting. The issues explored in the film really do come together at the end. The credits roll silently and I noticed that the full cinema was very quiet and remained so for a much longer time than usual.

The problems in the Catholic church have had repercussions and this parish in Sligo is losing its faith. This loss of faith is portrayed very vividly, it is expressed more strongly than in reality I think.

The film revolves around the character of Father James Lavelle played powerfully by Brendan Gleeson. As Father James visits his parishioners there is much humour, often quite dark. The script has many choice lines. A man arrives to give a lift to a female parishioner who has been sexually promiscuous and she says "here is my ride".

Father James Lavelle is a likable priest, grappling with applying the church's teachings in the modern world. It is a thankless task and always his objective is undermined by the failures of the church itself. Father James's character is contrasted with that of a younger priest he shares the parish with (David Wilmot). The younger priest is very much part of the institution of the church and his loyal naïvety is humorous and infuriating.

Father James' life is threatened at the beginning, but this film is not a detective story, it is not Father Brown. Father James knows who threatened him but we the audience are not let in on the secret. The logic behind the threat is described ingeniously as events in the film come to a head at the end.

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer/director John Michael McDonagh and actor Brendon Gleeson re-team (The Guard, 2011) in what can be viewed as one giant leap for both filmmaker and actor. Mr. McDonagh is immensely talented and seems to be a natural at keeping his viewers unsure of what's coming.

Set and filmed in a western Irish coastal town, the film has a most unusual first scene, including an acknowledgment of such as the priest (Gleeson) says "Certainly a startling opening line". This occurs in the confessional with an extreme close-up as the unseen (by us) parishioner then says "I'm going to kill you Father". With Sunday week as the promised deadline, the movie follows the Priest with a placard for each day, as he makes his way through the maze of local town characters. He also receives a visit from his daughter (Kelly Reilly), fresh off a suicide attempt (he was married prior to joining the priesthood).

The film bounces from very dark humor to extreme philosophical and theological discussions between the town folks and the priest. We quickly learn what a good man he is, and struggle to understand why the locals flash such vitriol his way. The Catholic Church, and all that implies these days, certainly plays a key role, but more than that, this is about the make-up and character of people.

This is not the place to go into detail about the story, as the film is best unwrapped and interpreted by each viewer. What can be said is that this is exceptional filmmaking: it's well directed, beautifully photographed, superbly acted, has a terrific script, and encourages much discussion.

Aside from some fine acting by Brendan Gleeson, I can't see a whole lot to recommend this film to the average viewer. However, if you have been hurt by the Catholic Church and just want to see a random priest killed, then perhaps you'll enjoy "Calvary".

The film begins with a priest, Father Lavelle (Gleeson) in the confessional about to listen to someone's confession. However, instead of asking forgiveness, the person on the other side tells the priest that he was molested as a child by a priest--and for that, he was going to murder Father Lavelle--even though Lavelle didn't do it and the man admits that the Father isn't the perpetrator. And, for the rest of the film, you see the priest trying to do his job in perhaps the most hellish town on Earth. Almost everyone in this town is evil or miserable. In fact, after a while, it almost made me laugh because it was such a one-dimensional place. And, none of it really made any sense. There's the strange rich guy who invites the priest over and then proceeds to urinate all over one of his expensive paintings. Then, there's the old writer who wants the priest to give him a gun so he can shoot himself. And, there are lots of other lovely folks--including an openly gay priest who hangs out with a guy who constantly mocks God (???), an angry perverted doctor, a cannibal (yes, a cannibal) as well as the priest's suicidal daughter (he became a priest after his wife died). No one in the town seems decent or real--all are angry and spend the entire movie mocking God and Father Lavelle. Ultimately, by the end of the film, the guy at the beginning returns and blows the priest's brains out in a very vivid scene. I normally don't insert spoilers, but the scene is so vivid and gruesome that I think you need to be forewarned.

My only way to make sense of all this is that the folks making this film truly despise the Catholic Church. I myself am not Catholic and am angry at the way this organization covered up years of pedophile priests--and would love to see more films that address this. But, this does not mean that I'd take pleasure at seeing a priest brutally murdered for my entertainment! I cannot even imagine most atheists enjoying this!! The bottom line is that I kept watching and hoping it would all make sense--the one-dimensional characters, the anger and the threat to kill the man. But, ultimately, the film just seemed to take pleasure in nihilism and awfulness. And, I keep wondering WHO is the audience for "Calvary"?! Rarely have I seen a film this offensive and seemingly pointless. Perhaps I'm missing something...but I doubt it.