Calvary (4 Stars)

Just like "The Guard", "Calvary" was written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. Both films star the prolific Irish actor Brendan Gleeson in the lead role. Both films take place in small coastal towns in Ireland. But that's where the similarity ends. These are two very different films. Whereas "The Guard" is a comedy, "Calvary" is a very dark and intense film. That's not to say that there aren't occasional bursts of humour, but the humour all comes from the supporting characters. Brendan plays his role very seriously, aptly portraying a man who is deeply religious and very fervent in what he believes. He is fighting to uphold the values of the Roman Catholic church in a society which no longer believes.

James Lavelle is the priest in a small town in the Irish Republic. A man comes into the confession booth. We don't see who it is, and his identity is hidden from the viewers until the end of the film, but the priest recognises him by his voice. Instead of confessing, the man reveals that he was raped by a priest when he was seven, and it continued several times a week until he was twelve. He can no longer take revenge because the priest is dead. The man has decided to kill Father Lavelle in his place, even though he knows that he is a good priest. He announces that he will kill Father Lavelle on the beach a week on Sunday.

Father Lavelle is at first uncertain what to do, but then decides that he can't report the man to the police because of his vow of silence. Over the next week he goes about his normal business, visiting and counselling the members of his parish. Some of his parishioners are religious, most aren't. The viewers know that one of the men he visits must be the killer, but we aren't given any clues.

This is a very powerful film. When it ended there was absolute silence in the cinema, and it took a while for the first people to stand up and leave.