Conspiracy of Silence (2003)

A can of worms is opened within the Irish Catholic Church following two controversial incidents, the suicide of Frank Sweeney, a parish priest and the expulsion of Daniel McLaughlin, a ... See full summary »

Director:

John Deery

Writer:

John Deery

Stars:

Jonathan Forbes, Brenda Fricker, Niall O'Brien

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Forbes	...	Daniel McLaughlin
Brenda Fricker	...	Annie McLaughlin
Niall O'Brien	...	John McLaughlin
Catherine Cusack	...	Mary McLaughlin
Elaine Symons	...	Marie McLaughlin
Tommy Carey	...	Sean McLaughlin
Paudge Behan	...	Niall McLaughlin
Jason Barry	...	David Foley
Olivia Caffrey	...	Liz Foley
Anna Rose Fullen	...	Martha Foley
Hugh Bonneville	...	Father Dowling
John Lynch	...	Father Francis
Jim Norton	...	Bishop Quinn
Sean McGinley	...	Rector Cathal
Harry Towb	...	Father Doherty

Storyline

A can of worms is opened within the Irish Catholic Church following two controversial incidents, the suicide of Frank Sweeney, a parish priest and the expulsion of Daniel McLaughlin, a young trainee priest from a nearby seminary, on the grounds that he was open to the sexual advances of a male colleague. A local journalist, David Foley, is convinced that Sweeney's death and Daniel's expulsion are linked. Desperate to clear his good name and be re-instated, Daniel agrees to talk to Foley. As the story gathers momentum, the Church closes ranks.

---

Plot Keywords:

expulsion | church | priests | irish | suicide | 

---

Taglines:

There's a price to pay...for everything

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2006 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Dios te Salve

Filming Locations:

Callington, Cornwall, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,598, 5 December 2004

Gross USA:

$2,598

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,598

Company Credits

Production Co:

Little Wing Films, Flick Features, Mogirl Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film role for Chris O'Dowd (as Christopher O'Dowd), who portrays James.

---

Quotes

Father Sweeney: The church has AIDS!

---

Soundtracks

Blue Mountain River
Written by Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd
Performed by Cara Dillon
Rough Trade, Licensed courtesy of Sanctuary Copyrights Ltd

User Reviews

An interesting little film

I was lucky enough to be invited to a cast screening of the film at the Empire in Leicester Square, (my dad has a small part - he sings the Wild Colonial Boy in a pub scene). I really enjoyed the film as it struck a number of chords with me having been brought up a Catholic, taught by priests and Irish (at least Irish descent). The film has the same well observed quality as Alan Parkers film of Roddy Doyle's The Committments. The topic is a serious one about Aids and Homosexuality in the Catholic Church but don't let that put you off, the film is full of funny interactions that are typically Irish and will appeal to many people. I didn't think that the message of the film was clear it covered the Church's attitude to aids, homosexuality, harshness of the regime in a seminar and corruption. So something for everyone. A well acted and entertaining film with a number of well known stars in fairly minor roles.