Priest
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Movie Reviews of Priest
Movie Review: EXCELLENT
Summary: 5 Stars
Interesting and informative. I guess even a priest has his own sexual issues that people cant or wont understandMovie Review: An effective, thought-inducing film experience!
Summary: 4 Stars
A take-it-or-leave-it drama, "Priest" is not your everyday religious examination film. It deals more with issues considered taboo by the church, such as homosexuality, incest, and the judgmental society. Some people may even lose interest from it; this is not a movie for everyone. But, it does leave a lasting impression in the mind, raising up questions and debates about religion that even the film itself does not resolve. The film begins with a man carrying a cross from the church to the home of the Bishop, who has replaced him with a newcomer to Liverpool. Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache), a conservative man of the cloth, arrives and is appalled that fellow priest Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson), relinquishes celibacy and has a relationship with their black housekeeper. This puts a small strain on their growing friendship, but it gives way once bigger conflicts begins appearing.
Just as Father Matthew avoids celibacy, Greg breaks the vow by going to a pub and picking up (surprise) a man, going back to his place, and having a one-night stand. Once his homosexuality is revealed to us, the movie takes on a much bigger challenge of mixing religious persecution and moral beliefs, as Greg must choose between keeping his vows of faith or revealing his secrets.
Greg's homosexuality is handled in many different ways, and seen in many different views and opinions, including his own of himself. Once it becomes known that their priest is gay, the members of the congregation begins to dissipate, and even the Bishop asks him to leave, even as Father Matthew pleads with them to be compassionate. This prejudice and hate makes way for some very nice introspective into the hypocrisy that permeates the church and its followers ("Let he who is without sin cast the first stone").
It is Greg's own inner torment that heightens the movie to an emotional level. He establishes the fact early on that he considers his own lifestyle to be sinful, yet he cannot stop thinking about being with a man. He begins to rationalize with a crucifix in his room over what is right and wrong; his inner conflicts with himself are powerful and moving, and just as he asks God for an answer, we find ourselves asking the same question.
His inner torment extends to other situations as well. In a very intriguing side story, a young girl named Lisa reveals that her father sexually abuses her, putting Greg on the spot of whether to break the vow of confession or keep these truths hidden. The situation gets very tense as Greg begins tearing himself apart inside. Not only is he fighting his own personal war, but someone else's, someone with whom he will find comfort at the film's heart-stopping finale.
The only flaw that blemishes this film's beauty is the way in which it showcases Father Matthew as a gay rights activist during the movie's third act. He invites Greg to stand with him for a service, which causes an uproar among the parishioners. He then proceeds to invite people to leave the church. His words here seem more like demands than pleas, sounding just a bit, well, preachy.
It is the flawless performances of the cast that really bring home the emotion throughout this film. Linus Roache gives one of the best performances of 1995 as Father Greg, torn between himself and his vows to the church. He brings true emotion to the role, so much so that we believe in his character and his fears. Tom Wilkinson is convincing as Father Matthew, whose open-minded thinking serves as a beacon of light for Greg. Wilkinson is blunt and forceful, a brilliant mix.
"Priest" is a highly controversial film about religion and sin, about taking a stand for ones beliefs or backing down in fear, and ultimately about facing that fear. We can believe in Greg's pain because we have all experienced a situation like his. And whether or not you may agree with the movie's message, or however bad you may consider it to be, a movie that makes you think about so many issues for days after you see it cannot be bad.
Movie Review: Confronting Demons
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a moving and beautifully made film which deals with crucial issues for the modern church. Set in a gritty inner city suburb in Liverpool, the film tells the story of Father Greg [Linus Roach]: newly ordained, confident and well intentioned. He is appointed to assist the older Fr Michael - a priest with a strong sense of social justice and a poor reputation with the local bishop. The initial scenes of the film focus on Greg's deep sense of vocation and his clumsy efforts to minister to the local working class people. He's a good man - if not a very wise priest. He is critical of Micheal's unorthodox faith and his sexual relationship with the woman who is the housekeeper at the presbytery.
The moral focus of the film changes when Greg learns of the sexual abuse of a teenaged member of his congregation. His information is privileged by confidentiality and he struggles to make sense of the conflicting demands on him as a priest and pastor. In the middle of all this, we learn that Greg is gay. He takes off his collar and picks up a man in a bar [Graham, played by Robert Carlyle]. What begins as a casual encounter becomes a relationship with terrible consequences. The most awful moment of the film is not the painful outing of Greg but the scene in the church when Greg refuses communion to Graham when he turns up in the congregation one Sunday morning. I doubt that the "offence" that lands Greg in court has any legal basis anymore. The conclusion of the film is deeply moving and gives the viewer much to think about.
There are no heroes in this film - although one comes to love Michael and to feel deeply for Greg and for Graham. There are plenty of villains, however, with the highly political bishop the greatest offender. It's not a film about gay priests, however, nor about corrupt clergy - although there are plenty of them in the film. It's a film about confronting demons: hypocrisy, shame and guilt. In the end, the message is positive and life affirming. Here is a film that challenges and confronts and deals with big issues in an accessible and sympathetic way.
Movie Review: Right On The Money
Summary: 4 Stars
As a Catholic involved with ministry at the parish level for 15 years now, I can honestly say that this excellent little film captures the debilitating, guilt-laden, shame-based, destructive consequences of the Roman institution and its priests. Though not all priests break their vows, believe me...many do-- both heterosexually and, especially, homosexually.Linus Roache portrays one such man caught in the crossfire between his very real sex drive and his very real desire to serve God. Director Antonia Bird does a good job of revealing Rome's celibacy law as the outdated, damaging, psychologically sick imposition that it is. At the same time, she does not glorify her priest's decision to break his vows, and reveals that his illicit act has consequences.Robert Carlyle is great as the little boyfriend...a real change from his later Trainspotting and Full Monty roles. The film's subplot about family incest is another opportunity for Bird to highlight the Catholic Church's long and well-documented history of denial, cover-up, and silence in the face of a male-oriented need to oppress.In every parish in which I have been involved in ministry, I have witnessed plenty of priests whose policy is to keep silent about anything that could be damaging to the Church or to one of its prominent members.This seems to be a disease among Roman priests...silence; the film captures that atmosphere of self-serving denial. It would be useless for most Catholics to watch this film...they would fail to understand its significance; let's face it,those who wander blindly among the pews, rosaries in hand, would react with hatred and chagrin. However, the film is heartbreakingly accurate and should be seen by anyone with active intelligence. Only with the help of films like this can people begin to throw out the evil, diseased structures that have been gripping the Catholic faith for centuries. Lastly, if Antonia Bird directed this film based upon her own personal experience of Catholicism, then BRAVO! Personal experiences happen to be REAL.Movie Review: A Priest, Not a Saint
Summary: 4 Stars
At its core, "Priest" is a thoughtful examination of faith, conscience, and feeling and how those concepts can sometimes conflict with dogma, ideology, and tradition ... more simply put, spirituality versus religion. As a long-term associate of an Interfaith agency (and someone who deals with persons from many different faith communities), I found the characters and plot realistic, and was gratified that the script offered no easy answers to the dilemmas it presented. Real life is often messy; the film demonstrates that there are times when an ideal moral choice is neither clear nor even possible, and that a religious calling does not exempt one from the temptations and foibles of being human. These same tensions have been approached (usually as subplots) in many films over the years, including "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "The Keys of the Kingdom" (1945), and "The Left Hand of God" (1955); "Priest" pushes the envelope by exploring these themes in the context of sexual situations within the Church.The DVD transfer is beautiful, offering clear and crisp video and sound. The film features a superb performance by Linus Roache, and some very artful editing (with the exception of a couple of spots in which it's obvious that scenes have been snipped by the censors' scissors). I would have liked a few extras on the DVD, like an interview with the director and/or screenwriter, and perhaps some balanced coverage of the controversy the film has generated since its release. A theatrical trailer would also have been welcome. (How was this volatile film marketed, both in the USA and abroad?)
These missing features aside, this movie (to date) is not frequently screened on US cable or broadcast television, and I welcomed the opportunity to see it, and to be moved by it.