Gleeson is Father James who, in the film’s gripping first scene, is threatened with death during confession. A man tells of how he was sexually abused by a priest from the age of seven, and has decided that the only way to rectify matters is to kill an innocent clergyman. He calmly gives Father James a week to get his matters in order. Father James knows the man who made the threat (though he’s kept hidden from the viewer), and Calvary then takes us on a twisted journey through a motley crew of villager suspects. A fantastic supporting cast including Chris O’Dowd (The Sapphires), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), people the village with a range of richly drawn characters who exasperate Father James as he prepares to face his own personal Calvary. |