The Club

The uneasy quiet of a remote hideaway for disgraced Catholic priests and nuns is shattered by the ranting arrival of an abuse victim in this powerful and topical drama from Chile. To sort out the kerfuffle and keep a lid on things, the Church sends in a crisis counsellor. Embracing everything from systemic child abuse to the snatching of babies from unwed mothers, this tale is told in an understated, non-hysterical style that depicts these priests and nuns not as monsters, but as flawed human beings, many in denial. Theabominable nature of their acts is, however, suggested by the explicit rants of victim Sandokan (Roberto Farías). TheClub loses its vice-like grip a little in a last half hour that becomes murky and somewhat impenetrable, and there's the feeling that Spanish speakers will get more from its subtleties of subject and language than subtitle readers. But it's still a worthwhile if sometimes tough watch.