Catching up: Calvary

I first heard of Calvary back when it was in cinemas across the pond in Ireland. From the start of the year it was one of the films that I was most excited to see, and while it didn't quite match my lofty expectations, it's still a potent drama in its own right, possessed by a dark melancholy and boasting one of the best performances of the year from star Brendan Gleeson.

Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a priest in a small Irish town, surrounded by people of little faith. In a confessional, he is informed that he will be murdered in a week by someone who resents the Catholic Church because a priest molested him as a child. This introduction has been noted as one of the year's best, and for good reason. The camera remains focused on Gleeson, whose performance is one of communication beyond dialogue. We see damage on his face, a pain that is at this point only barely known to us. What he's hearing must have some effect on him, though he shows similar emotions throughout the whole movie. It's a perfect first scene that sets the theme for the movie.

However, the intensity of this intro does not set the tone, as Calvary is a more sombre affair for the rest of its running time. It's a slow burn, quiet and understated, looking to explore its own little world in order to tell us something. What it's trying to tell us is never quite clear. The film hovers around religious themes, attempting to look into a world that has lost faith, but it never quite reaches a conclusion. If that's actually a problem, however, is more to one's own digression. The film is one drenched in melancholy, billing itself as a comedy but more often being forlorn. That's not to say the film isn't funny at times, but these bits of humour are merely spikes in the stoic contemplation of the movie.

The potential set-up of a mystery never really takes the reigns of the story, as instead James looks on the people around him in the days leading up to his predicted doom. Other people are revealed, all of varying degrees of faithlessness, who are introduced to bounce off of James and give him situations to react to. Gleeson's towering presence takes front and centre here as well, and his character is challenging and wounded, but unwavering. He never shakes from his faith, even as it's challenged repeatedly. His steadfastness, however, belies a sort of hurt. It's easy to feel sorry for James when bad things happen to him, as he is very much a good man. And bad things do happen to him, in emotional scenes that make you wonder how it is that James bears it all. As a character study, Calvary is highly successful, painting a picture of a man who manages to help others despite his own woes, remaining upright despite the ever-increasing burden of that task. It's fascinating to see this character contrast with those around him, and James' depth is complemented by Gleeson's emotive performance, which shows emotion beyond the script right on the large man's face.

In the film, James comes in contact with his daughter, Fiona. Over the course of the film, Fiona shares a lot with her father, and the two have a layered relationship that comes around late in the film as both Fiona and James share some of their feelings about recent events, such as Fiona's suicide attempt. Other characters connect with James in other ways, and some characters simply don't connect at all, serving more to provide a contrast. These are some of the film's less interesting characters, but their commentary on the Church provides some of the film's analysis of the declining stature of religion in Ireland. It's easy to imagine that those connected to Ireland might have these ideas hit close to home, as though these characters aren't necessarily realistic, their disillusionment speaks to the Church having a greater shift out of people's lives.

This is also a film that looks gorgeous. There are many wide, sweeping shots of the Irish countryside, doing a superb job of displaying the island's natural beauty. The colour palette of the film matches the melancholy that pervades it, and manages to add a little extra punch to the quieter moments. Some scenes are darkly lit, either utilizing shadows gorgeously or removing distractions from the characters' faces. With how much is shown on the faces of the actors, this is a strong move, as combined with close-ups it allows for a visual emotion unique to film as a medium.

Calvary is a slow, deliberately paced movie, but it's also a poignant one. I can't help but feel that part of its point might be lost, and it takes a little time to really get going, but this is a powerful film, with a brilliant central performance and a strong emotional core. This is a film directed with passion, but also with solitude, resting on the shoulders of a giant, and it beckons a watch.

8/10