John Michael McDonagh directs Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd and Kelly Reilly in this Irish drama where a man on the other side of the confessional tells a priest he will shoot him dead in exactly one week’s time.

A murder mystery, before the murder has happened, where the victim / detective is already pretty sure who his killer will be. We don’t though. So every interaction has the subtext of threat and intimidation. I say subtext as nearly everyone in this community is outright hostile to this decent, compassionate and dedicated priest. They insult him, bully him and psychologically attack him. There isn’t a moment of solace or reprieve for the good man. So much so that even when the killer is revealed and a stand off closes the tale we still aren’t sure who is responsible for all the other transgressions that have befallen Gleeson over the hellish week? As a portrait of Catholic Ireland recovering from a church rocked by scandals and corruptions, Calvary is an incredibly bleak and challenging satire. It also works as a pitch black comedy and a thriller to boot. The mindset McDonagh is trying to convey is brittle and hostile and corrosive. He does the job enigmatically but satisfyingly.

9

Perfect Double Bill: The Guard (2011)

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