"Calvary"

Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Brendan Gleeson & Aiden Gillen

M. Emmett Walsh, Isaach de Bankolé & Chris O'Dowd

We went to Cityscreen yesterday, to watch this film, described as a black comedy drama. We loved it.

Brendan Gleeson plays a good-hearted, well intentioned parish priest in a small town near Sligo, Western Ireland. One day, in the confessional a parishioner threatens to kill the priest because he is a good man. He will do it not immediately but a week on Sunday, so we follow the priest around for that week.

I have suspected that the authority and reverence for the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland had been seriously undermined by the child abuse scandal and the financial crises of 2008. This is the first time I have seen this on screen, the cosiness and timelessness of Ballykissangel and Father Ted are shattered and consigned to history. It is a wonderful film, lots of very dark humour, great performances.

Calvary is "..a spiritual saga that is smart enough to take the route less travelled, the low road to glory. Calvary touches greatness." (Xan Brookes, the Guardian)