Antonia Bird's Priest revolves around Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache), who is just assigned to St. Mary's Church in Liverpool. Upon being hired, he is disgusted to discover that Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson), a very liberal member of the archdiocese, is having sexual relations with his housekeeper, despite his vow of celibacy. Not long after joining the church, he also meets Lisa (Christine Tremarco), a young girl who confides in Father Greg about her father's persistent abuse that goes from being verbal to sexual on a regular basis.
Father Greg sees this rampant sin all over his church, disgracing his new home like graffiti on the cold concrete of an urban underpass. This especially disturbs him because, despite having fairly conservative values and beliefs when it comes to the teachings and the practices of leaders in the church, Father Greg is a closet homosexual. He begins having recurring sexual encounters with Graham (Robert Carlyle) upon meeting him at a club one night. His ultimate test as a newly appointed member of a church comes in numerous forms - his battle with his closet orientation, his vow of silence and secrecy when he knows several dangerous and unethical things are taking place, and his contentment with robbing himself of his true identity for the sake of his job.
Priest examines the multiple hypocrisies of the church in a manner that isn't so much incriminating as it is an act of introspective examination. Bird and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern illustrate the church's disapproval on same-sex marriage and relations, adamantly bashing everything that has to do with either, yet actively turns a blind eye to the sins committed within the four walls of the church. Why is it so difficult and daunting to take a metaphorical magnifying glass to examine the intricate problems of those that are ostensibly chosen to lead a nation of lost souls to the path of righteousness?
Without sermonizing themes and morals at us, Bird and McGovern leave the area pleasantly gray, largely so the audience came come to the consensus of justifying the church's, and for that matter, the public's, willingness to really turn the tables on the alleged holiness of those leading us in Sunday mass. My assumption comes from the idea of having faith in those who are guiding you. The public would love to believe the person leading them in their service are the most trustworthy person around, but it's so easy to condemn and go along with a pastor, father, or preacher's ideology without turning the tables on him or examining him and his actions. What results is dangerous groupthink, and why societal atrocities like rape, incestuous sex, and inequality can become justified and accepted, or even worse, unnoticed.
The bulk of Priest, however, handles Greg's crisis of faith and lack of hope in the institution he has trusted since he was a kid. Upon his first encounter with Graham at a nightclub, when he sees things are taking a turn for the romantic, we can tell that everything he has been told or has taught himself, is coming into question. Couple that with the plethora of sins he sees his church so casually committing and he is sick with uncertainty and frustration over everything he is handling and dealing with at once.
Linus Roache gives a solid performance as Greg, though he can be shaky in more dramatic circumstances. Consider the scene where Father Greg is kneeling before Christ on the cross, cursing his name for allowing what is happening to poor Lisa. During this confrontation between Greg and Christ, Bird juxtaposes a scene of Lisa's father violently assaulting her before being interrupted by the mother, who witnesses his actions. It's a frightening scene, and although Roache doesn't handle the crying and the more dramatic elements with immense conviction, it's adequate enough, especially when edited together ostensibly to create an "act of God" circumstance in response to Father Greg's persistent pleading.
Priest is more an impressionistic soap-opera regarding the church than it is a drama. Its production values are notably low, its color scheme never reaches past a bleak pastel, and its acting is unanimously adequate. But Bird and McGovern wisely overcome all of the above in order to make their audience think and contemplate about their own judgments and, in turn, put them in an uncomfortable position for ninety-six minutes. As easy as it is to dismiss the cheap and stiff aesthetic of Priest, it's as hard to admit that it might have a point or at least be onto something, and that's the first step in admitting there is a serious problem embedded somewhere.
Starring: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, and Christine Tremarco. Directed by: Antonia Bird.
Father Greg sees this rampant sin all over his church, disgracing his new home like graffiti on the cold concrete of an urban underpass. This especially disturbs him because, despite having fairly conservative values and beliefs when it comes to the teachings and the practices of leaders in the church, Father Greg is a closet homosexual. He begins having recurring sexual encounters with Graham (Robert Carlyle) upon meeting him at a club one night. His ultimate test as a newly appointed member of a church comes in numerous forms - his battle with his closet orientation, his vow of silence and secrecy when he knows several dangerous and unethical things are taking place, and his contentment with robbing himself of his true identity for the sake of his job.
Priest examines the multiple hypocrisies of the church in a manner that isn't so much incriminating as it is an act of introspective examination. Bird and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern illustrate the church's disapproval on same-sex marriage and relations, adamantly bashing everything that has to do with either, yet actively turns a blind eye to the sins committed within the four walls of the church. Why is it so difficult and daunting to take a metaphorical magnifying glass to examine the intricate problems of those that are ostensibly chosen to lead a nation of lost souls to the path of righteousness?
Without sermonizing themes and morals at us, Bird and McGovern leave the area pleasantly gray, largely so the audience came come to the consensus of justifying the church's, and for that matter, the public's, willingness to really turn the tables on the alleged holiness of those leading us in Sunday mass. My assumption comes from the idea of having faith in those who are guiding you. The public would love to believe the person leading them in their service are the most trustworthy person around, but it's so easy to condemn and go along with a pastor, father, or preacher's ideology without turning the tables on him or examining him and his actions. What results is dangerous groupthink, and why societal atrocities like rape, incestuous sex, and inequality can become justified and accepted, or even worse, unnoticed.
The bulk of Priest, however, handles Greg's crisis of faith and lack of hope in the institution he has trusted since he was a kid. Upon his first encounter with Graham at a nightclub, when he sees things are taking a turn for the romantic, we can tell that everything he has been told or has taught himself, is coming into question. Couple that with the plethora of sins he sees his church so casually committing and he is sick with uncertainty and frustration over everything he is handling and dealing with at once.
Linus Roache gives a solid performance as Greg, though he can be shaky in more dramatic circumstances. Consider the scene where Father Greg is kneeling before Christ on the cross, cursing his name for allowing what is happening to poor Lisa. During this confrontation between Greg and Christ, Bird juxtaposes a scene of Lisa's father violently assaulting her before being interrupted by the mother, who witnesses his actions. It's a frightening scene, and although Roache doesn't handle the crying and the more dramatic elements with immense conviction, it's adequate enough, especially when edited together ostensibly to create an "act of God" circumstance in response to Father Greg's persistent pleading.
Priest is more an impressionistic soap-opera regarding the church than it is a drama. Its production values are notably low, its color scheme never reaches past a bleak pastel, and its acting is unanimously adequate. But Bird and McGovern wisely overcome all of the above in order to make their audience think and contemplate about their own judgments and, in turn, put them in an uncomfortable position for ninety-six minutes. As easy as it is to dismiss the cheap and stiff aesthetic of Priest, it's as hard to admit that it might have a point or at least be onto something, and that's the first step in admitting there is a serious problem embedded somewhere.
Starring: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, and Christine Tremarco. Directed by: Antonia Bird.