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Calvary (2014)

R  |   |  Drama  |  11 April 2014 (Ireland)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 34,781 users   Metascore: 77/100
Reviews: 165 user | 274 critic | 42 from Metacritic.com

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

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
Simon
...
The Writer
...
Teresa
...
Freddie Joyce
...
Father Leary
Pat Shortt ...
Brendan Lynch
Gary Lydon ...
Inspector Stanton
...
Milo Herlihy
...
Veronica Brennan
...
Leo
Edit

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. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual references, language, brief strong violence and some drug use | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

11 April 2014 (Ireland)  »

Also Known As:

Calvario  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$74,149 (USA) (1 August 2014)

Gross:

$3,593,460 (USA) (10 October 2014)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Father Lavelle says "God is great and the limits of his mercy have not been set" This is a quote from Jean Amery's book "On suicide: A discourse on voluntary death" See more »

Quotes

Father Leary: Things you hear in confession these days. It's depressing.
Father James Lavelle: You have to detach yourself from it. We're here to provide solace. Your personal feelings don't come into it.
Father Leary: I know that. What do you take me for? It's difficult, though, the mess people make of their lives.
Father James Lavelle: What's the problem? Without going into details, obviously.
Father Leary: Your one with the big black eye on her. Have you seen her?
Father James Lavelle: Veronica Brennan, yeah.
Father Leary: She's an odd one. The things she comes out with. It's like she's trying to drag you down ...
[...]
See more »

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. See more »

Connections

Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 5 March 2014 (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

The Dolphins
Written and Performed by Fred Neil
Published by BMG Rights Management Ltd
Licensed Courtesy of EMI Records LTD
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Surprisingly Far-Reaching
13 April 2014 | by (Brighton & Hove, England) – See all my reviews

At the end of the film I reflected that this was a far bigger film that I had been expecting. The issues explored in the film really do come together at the end. The credits roll silently and I noticed that the full cinema was very quiet and remained so for a much longer time than usual.

The problems in the Catholic church have had repercussions and this parish in Sligo is losing its faith. This loss of faith is portrayed very vividly, it is expressed more strongly than in reality I think.

The film revolves around the character of Father James Lavelle played powerfully by Brendan Gleeson. As Father James visits his parishioners there is much humour, often quite dark. The script has many choice lines. A man arrives to give a lift to a female parishioner who has been sexually promiscuous and she says "here is my ride".

Father James Lavelle is a likable priest, grappling with applying the church's teachings in the modern world. It is a thankless task and always his objective is undermined by the failures of the church itself. Father James's character is contrasted with that of a younger priest he shares the parish with (David Wilmot). The younger priest is very much part of the institution of the church and his loyal naïvety is humorous and infuriating.

Father James' life is threatened at the beginning, but this film is not a detective story, it is not Father Brown. Father James knows who threatened him but we the audience are not let in on the secret. The logic behind the threat is described ingeniously as events in the film come to a head at the end.


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