Calvary

The Guard writer/director John Michael McDonagh reteams with Brendan Gleeson for this unique drama. A shocking opening in a confessional introduces us to Father James (Gleeson) and a mystery man who suffered terrible abuse at the hands of a now-dead priest. In the name of retribution, he's going to kill James (a "good priest") in a week's time. Although he knows the identity of his potential killer, James spends what could be his last seven days on Earth carrying out his usual duties, and spending time with his daughter (Kelly Reilly), who has problems of her own. McDonagh's strange brew of comedy, tragedy and melodrama shouldn't work, but it does. He's not afraid to tackle the big subjects (life, death, love, forgiveness) and although the plot contains an enjoyable element of spot-the-killer, it's more concerned with the oddball but believable characters forced to co-exist in a remote Irish village. Gleeson is superb, as usual, but the supporting cast is uniformly excellent, with Reilly, Chris O'Dowd and Dylan Moran outstanding in a soulful, thought-provoking and warmly human fable.