Calvary (2014)

After he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.

Director:

John Michael McDonagh

Writer:

John Michael McDonagh

Stars:

Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly

9 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brendan Gleeson	...	Father James
Chris O'Dowd	...	Jack Brennan
Kelly Reilly	...	Fiona Lavelle
Aidan Gillen	...	Dr. Frank Harte
Dylan Moran	...	Michael Fitzgerald
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Simon
M. Emmet Walsh	...	The Writer
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Teresa
Domhnall Gleeson	...	Freddie Joyce
David Wilmot	...	Father Leary
Pat Shortt	...	Brendan Lynch
Gary Lydon	...	Inspector Stanton
Killian Scott	...	Milo Herlihy
Orla O'Rourke	...	Veronica Brennan
Owen Sharpe	...	Leo

Storyline

Father James is a small-town priest in Ireland whose Sunday confessionals suddenly include a threat to kill him in a week's time as a matter of principle. Deeply troubled and conflicted about how to respond, Father James tries to go on with his calling through that week. However, that proves impossible as he is confronted with a troubling variety of spiritual challenges from both his estranged daughter and his own parishioners. In those dispiriting struggles, Father James' life begins to fall apart as time runs out towards a confrontation that seems to crystallize his values and what he wants his life to be.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | death threat | confessional | catholic church | priest's daughter | 

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Taglines:

Killing a priest on a Sunday. That'll be a good one.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual references, language, brief strong violence and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

FOX Searchlight [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 2014 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Calvario

Filming Locations:

Rush, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$956,273 (United Kingdom), 11 April 2014, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,149, 3 August 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,593,460, 10 October 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures,Irish Film Board,British Film Institute (BFI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In one scene the priest is seen asleep leaning at a rock while his daughter is reading a book. He wakes up and asks for how long he slept. His daughter replies "For ages... aeons." If you look closely you can see that she is reading a book by American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, who uses the word "aeons" in his writing so often, that it became one of his trademarks.

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Quotes

Father James Lavelle: Do you use pornography at home?
Milo Herlihy: I feel I've exhausted all the possibilities of pornography.
Father James Lavelle: All of them?
Milo Herlihy: Well, nearly all of them. I'm on to transexual pornography at the moment. Chicks with dicks, you know.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are inter-cut with empty shots of every main location that Father James Lavelle and his daughter Fiona had a significant conversation in.

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Connections

References Zelig (1983)

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Soundtracks

My Name Is Carnival
Written and Performed by Jackson C. Frank
Published by Maxwood Music Limited Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group Ltd.
Under License from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

Best so far in 2014

Having seen all the Oscar nominees in early 2014, I would have to say this is better than any of them. It might be a controversial thing to say to all the film techies who get very involved in analysing dialogue and the like but as a snap shot of Ireland in 2014, it's hard to think of how this movie could be bettered. Morally bankrupt, cynical, howling at the moon and everyone looking to blame someone else for their woes. And of course sitting right in the middle of this is the Catholic Church and all the scandals it was involved with. However rather than making the centre character the inevitable bad guy, we get a real man who has lived life, knows pain, has flaws but is a shining light of integrity, morality and compassion. Brendan Glesson is fabulous in his portrayal of Fr James who is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice as the good man laying down his life for the sins of others. The rest of the cast are also excellent and whilst it is a tad unrealistic that so many odd balls and "characters' all live in one small town, it is clear that they are representative of the vast array of disaffected folk living in Ireland today. The reference to Fr James' fellow priest having the character of an insurance company accountant was however a little to close for comfort! All in all a great movie of its time with strong performances and a great story. Irish film at its very best. Well done to everyone involved.