Calvary begins with Father James--played by Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter Series)--listening to confession of the congregants of his small Irish town. Father James is a widower and former alcoholic who joined the priesthood after the death of his beloved wife. A man enters the confessional and tells Father James that in a week's time, he is going to kill the priest. The mysterious man gives the Father one week to get his affairs in order and tells him that the reason he is to die is because the would-be murderer was sexually abused by a priest when he was a boy. The murderer goes on to say that no one cares if a bad priest is killed, so he has chosen Father James precisely because he is a good man and priest. Even with this threat over his head, the priest must take care of his congregation as well as his emotionally fragile daughter who has come from London for a visit. Father James deduces who this man is, but the audience doesn't get to know until the next-to-last scene of the movie. Will the murderer go through with his plan? Will Father James flee or will he stay to take care of his flock? Some of the scenes and characters in this movie are hard to watch, but if you can stand a bit of cursing, some grit and gore (not too much), then you may just enjoy this darkly comedic tale of religion and faith and what it means to face your own Calvary.
The Calling stars Susan Sarandon as Hazel Micallef. She is a detective in a small Canadian town who has a drug and alcohol problem stemming from an accident that left her with severe back pain. The same accident took the life of her unborn baby, so, understandably, she is not the most religious or faithful person. When she goes to check on an elderly citizen, she finds the woman murdered in an unusual fashion. Soon, another murder takes place; this one looks like suicide, but there are a few similarities. Micallef's long suffering partner--played by Gil Bellows--and a rookie cop (Topher Grace), who has transferred from the city, are finding victims of a serial killer who is crossing Canada and whose modus operandi includes elements of a Christian mystical prayer that is supposed to raise the dead. The audience learns who the killer is about halfway through, but the reasons for the killings remains a mystery. This movie is beautifully rendered. The bleak landscape of the Canadian winter is an apropos backdrop for this atmospheric mystery/thriller.
If you are a fan of atmospheric mysteries, then you may enjoy both of these movies as much as I did.
