-«I`m going to kill you, Father.» — «Certainly a startling opening line».
Although he was committed to a serious religious film, he was equally questioned by the style of the director, known for his love of strong Irish humor, and his advertising campaign. But the latter, as in most cases, lies not blushing, humor in the film a little, it fits the place, but does not play a big role. The film itself is not full of sarcasm, but of all-encompassing bitterness, almost biblical “sadness” for the rotting modern society.
The main character Brendan Gleeson is similar to other characters of the actor, a kind of quixotic simpleton, in fact, turns out to be both smarter, more compassionate and more useful to society than the “self-sufficient” personalities surrounding him. But even so, it is he who must atone for human sins; no other sacrifice is capable of covering the whole gigantic volume of our sins. The question is, will there be enough prophets before the next coming? There are fewer and fewer truly feeling personalities who know the world not only with the mind, as atheists do, but also with the heart, and they are the only ones who can bring relief to the suffering, even by their death.
A set of favorite Irish actors, a great plot, music and breathtaking landscapes of the melancholy emerald country of St. George. Patrick, what could be better? A film-reflection, a film-revelation, is intended for purely individual absorption - and, as usual, the viewer is invited to think of the ending himself. Try it, too.
I will try not to tell the story, it can be understood in the trailer.
“Once Upon a Time in Ireland” is why this is my first encounter with director Michael McDonagh.
Mix English humor with Irish pitch and get a serious film with a heavy soul. Yes, this description is suitable for “Golgotha”, the film is designed in white colors with a gray tint. Sometimes it irritates the eyes, but over time you understand the design of these white flickers.
Should a priest’s life be clean as a white leaf? Why is it that good people are most often cast as scoundrels? These and many other questions arise when watching this movie. The stereotype that has developed in society extends even to those people who live in small towns, where everyone knows each other in person. And it doesn't matter to any of the townspeople that yesterday they ate food from your hands, confessed to you. Behind your fears you will always be a lying, self-serving pervert who needs only money.
I wanted to say a word about the work of the operator. Beautiful view of Ireland surprises with its untouched nature and its scale, it is really interesting to look at, now I say without “pink glasses”.
Let's move on to the actors. The languid look of Brandon Gleeson, aka Father James, just pushes into the chair, and the transformation into a simple man who loves to ironize, amusing. As for Kaylee Railly, aka Fiona, she made me question the kinship ties between her and Father James, but as the past is revealed, the sense of doubt fades, and as she looks further, her play evokes empathy. And of course Dylan Moran, I would like to see him in a different way, I’m sure he can play people more seriously too. Well, these are personal wishes, as for his game, the usual image was given to him well, and in sober moments even better.
If you are in doubt about going to this movie, let me be clear. “Golgotha” is a solid movie that can be understood if you completely surrender to it. The issue of faith and religion in this film is not the most important, so you should not meet this film on clothes. Throughout the film, intrigue is maintained, the viewer is offered to take part in the solution, there are many characters united by one goal: to sin.
I don’t think it’s a comedy:
From the Sunday confession for Father James began the last report of his steps on the earthly path, the end of which should be next Sunday, when an unknown sinner promised to carry out his death sentence to the priest, by which an honest minister of the church must atone for the guilt of the criminal who dishonored the grieving man, and for the rest of the week can deal with earthly debts in order to leave there with a clear conscience and a calm soul.
Having found himself in such an unenviable position, the elderly priest, not indulging in panic, keeps the secret of confession from the authorities, walking among his clumsy parishioners, looking into their eyes and souls, so that soon his voluntary visits turn into a series of non-random confessions, revealing or only revealing the vices and troubles hidden in them, without issuing his own plans for the weekend approaching every day.
Avoiding visiting the temple, and some even denying faith, the townspeople pour out to a man in a cassock who is pain, who is fear, and who is confused by the troubles of life or the trials brought by a sudden death, revealing the need for an outside listener or interlocutor, including his own dissolute daughter, seems to intend to snatch her father from the clutches of a separation – the church.
All of them, if they do not ask for advice, ease their own soul, giving Father James tumaks, confusing him with new riddles, and spiritually purifying him with counter-questions, freeing the priest from doubts about the strength of the faith and assuring him of devotion to service, leading to lifelong holiness, which, as promised, must be put to a bloody end, sending the enlightened to the saints, in order to leave sinners without a single savior.
So, in essence, we are given a film about a world living without God, about a prophet who is not found in his homeland, intertwining the low with the high, cynicism with unbundling, creating an unimaginable combination of moral and ethical contexts of inhumanity and spirituality, which makes the director for his own work and a brilliant script should be attributed to the image of the great, that is all.
The film did not leave indifferent. I haven’t watched the final credits in a long time sitting in a movie theater. No one left the room immediately after the film ended. There was even something sinister about it. Drama with black humor, which mainly suggests reflection, not laughter.
Father James finds out they want to kill him and doesn’t try to avoid it. The killer gives him time to settle matters before his death, which the main character does the whole film against the backdrop of stunning Irish landscapes. It is worth noting that Father James has his own view on how to prepare for death. Should I?
Many very different secondary characters make it clear that no one needs faith here. The cast was brilliant, all the characters are understandable and appropriate. Life in the city goes on as usual, everyone has their own concerns and interests. There is no one who wants to be sympathetic. All heroes except the priest are mildly disgusted. Father James does his job despite the belief that his time has passed.
Against the background of this depressive environment, real life values are shown, which, however, are not advertised and idealized here. In Calvary, nothing catches the eye, the actions are measured and leisurely, events do not cause vivid emotions and it is extremely difficult to describe your feelings after watching. However, the fact that this is a film that is worth watching, there is no doubt.
9 out of 10
Great movie. Except it's not a comedy, black or white. This is the most brutal, depressing drama. It is about how, even in one of the most seemingly Catholic countries in the world, no one is interested in God, and if they are, then very briefly and mainly as a subject for ridicule. How the only shepherd who still holds on to Him remains a stranger to all. It’s about how meaningless life is when the whole point of it is to get drunk or have sex.
There were about 10 people in the opening session, which is normal. Few people today are attracted by such works of art. There are no effects, no twists of the plot, there is only a leisurely narrative and endless sadness of the island countryside.
All the actors play great, especially liked the character of the rich. Rare but apt manifestations of local humor involuntarily make lips crooked in a dubious grin. Aftertaste remains for a long time, and for more or less impressionable natures like me, there is a need to smoke an extra cigarette. I highly recommend it, but see the first sentence of the review.
The film was viewed at the premiere of the festival of Irish cinema 19.03.2014.
Director John Michael McDonagh 3 years ago marked a bright debut - not for nothing his film "Once Upon a Time in Ireland" won the prize at the Berlin Film Festival (honorable mention - best debut). That picture could leave few indifferent with its black humor and national color. The Irish are one of the funniest nations in the world, and the creators convinced us of that.
John Michael and Martin McDonagh film separately, but their works have a similar style. Both work in the genre of criminal comedy with elements of drama, both know how to compose juicy dialogues, joke “black”.
All this, including the aforementioned national flavor and Brendan Gleason, the actor who played both “Lie on the Bottom in Bruges” and “Once Upon a Time in Ireland”, is contained in “Golgotha”. This tape is extremely acute on the example of faith reflects the decline of morality in society. The Irish have moved away from religion, they laugh at it. Whether one believes in God or not, one cannot deny that faith has always appealed to higher spiritual values. Now people’s values have changed: one of the heroes values only money, he has so much of it that he is bored to live and even making donations he does not from the heart, the other heroine endlessly changes lovers (adultery), in the church there were priests who at the sight of money difficult to keep a calm look. During the week that the killer takes the main character, the good priest Father James, he (James) meets the people with whom he brought his life, and sees that almost all of them are drowned in sin. Gleason's character, with all his positive traits, looks lonely in this world, and although everyone perceives him as a good person, behind his back everyone laughs at him and at the faith he is devoted to. Against the background of such a depressing picture, the author asks whether it is not too late to stop this decline, and answers it very vaguely, offering both the worst development of events and giving hope for changes for the better.
Those who criticize films for having black and white characters will probably be ready to fire a couple of critical arrows at the creators for Gleason’s character (who, by the way, plays more soulfully than ever), but if you think back to the title of the film and connect it with the events, it becomes clear who the Irish actor is actually playing and why he is so positive.
Despite the fact that the film plays an important place humor about immigrants and nationality, “Golgotha” has a universal formulation. You can easily move the scene to another country - the tape will not cease to be relevant. Although even if you do not change anything, the Russian viewer this tape will be close, understandable and will certainly like.
8.5 out of 10
One of the characters in the film notes that his view of life is "one dose of humanism for nine parts of black humor," McDona's cocktail could be called "equal to that, equal to that." Stir, but not shake.
The second film of the director (the first, if anyone remembers, was "Once Upon a Time in Ireland", about the adventures of an obscene cop who eventually comes to justice as the only measure against the rampant crime) continues to collaborate with Brandon Gleason, again promoting it as a kind of collective conscience, now not so much ready to fight for humanity as to die for it.
This is a very "Irish" film - many national problems are touched upon (the loss of faith, the special role of Catholic priests in the "education" of young people, the problems of the hinterland with its impoverishment in all senses, including spiritualistic), and it is not by chance that the picture has become a real event at home, but at the same time, this is a new and, of course, understandable manner of talking about very sensitive matter, which has no nationality, with the black humor of the gallows, who never forgets that from terrible to ridiculous one step, and that excessive sin is almost serious.
Madona's film is a new stage in his career, that's obvious. From the bright attractions of the debut, he moved to a thoughtful and deep manner of performance, which does not negate, however, his trademark (family or Irish, if you will) humor, making the viewer emit a hysterical laugh that leads you to catharsis much closer and faster than you thought or expected.
"Golgotha" is a black comedy, I was told. Really? For me, this is primarily a drama.
Father James is a priest in a small Irish town. And the people of this town, roughly speaking, do not care about prayer, atonement for sins and repentance. Why would I? Everyone has their own personal problems. And Father James understands that perfectly. He fulfills his duty as a pastor, communicating with parishioners not without irony, forgiving them “sins”, because he knows that they are not going to repent and change anything in their lives. They are trying to make ends meet.
The film is more about the loss of trust and importance of the church. Now the priests are old perverts and pedophiles who shake the air with empty words about God and forgiveness. But Father James is not. He is an honest, calm, understanding person. And everyone around him knows this, but they treat him with disdain, scoff at him and mock him in every way.
During confession, one of the parishioners informs Father James that he will kill him. He will kill for the sins of another person, because he is a “good person.”
Against the backdrop of the magnificent landscapes of Ireland, a priest battles with the dark forces of human fears. James realizes that he is doomed to defeat. And in the end meets him face to face, calm and ready to forgive everyone.
John Michael McDonagh made a strong and punching film, after which you unwittingly begin to rethink some things.
It is impossible not to mention the magnificent Brandan Gleeson (Father James). All the actors played very well. Every character is clear. His position, motives, desires and feelings are clear.
The film, of course, touches the living, awakens a storm of emotions: we are indignant, laugh, worry and cry. The picture will leave no one indifferent. I assure you.