| This is a riveting film with a brilliant central performance by Brendon Gleeson as Father Lavelle, the priest in a small Irish village.
The film opens with a confessional, in which one of the villagers tells him in graphic terms that he has suffered abuse as a child, and in revenge he is going to kill (in one week’s time) not the perpetrator (who is dead), not a bad priest, but Father Lavelle. Lavelle knows who he is talking to, we don’t, and he takes the information as far as possible in his stride. Time and place for the final meeting are arranged.
There isn’t much joy in the village, and most of the inhabitants are flawed or struggling in some way. There’s a male prostitute, a grumpy author, an unhappy banker, the butcher and his wife who is unfaithful and at the start of the film sports a black eye behind her shades, and others. Lavelle’s daughter Fiona is unstable and has just attempted suicide.
Lavelle speaks to them all and offers his comments though he knows there isn’t much he can do to change their lives. He gets little worthwhile assistance from colleagues and superiors in the Catholic church, an organisation unlikely to take pleasure in this film.
Lavelle is no superman and had his own doubts and breakdown moments, but he is certainly prepared to speak his mind and face the consequences.
It sounds like unrelenting gloom, but the characters and script will keep you watching as we move towards the conclusion. It’s allegedly a comedy but when it’s this black, that seems a misnomer. It's the same director / star combination as 'The Guard', so I look forward to all future collaborations.
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