In modern film the Catholic Church and its priests rarely receive flattering portraits. Sometimes the treatment is downright nasty. Last night I watched
Calvary (2014), an intimate look at a priest in a small Irish seaside community. The strength of the story is the speculation it engenders about the toll on the psyche the hearing of sins takes on the father confessor. Brendan Gleeson is his usual brilliant self in the lead, a sympathetic portrait of a good man put to the test by the wayward in his flock. The tone is downbeat. The scandalous behavior of those priests who did so much damage to the young and to the Church plays a major role. Is it unfair? I don’t think so. It seems even-handed. In fact, there is more bias toward cinema’s other bogeyman, businessmen, than toward the church. The commentary section at IMDb is dominated, as usual, by detractors, many of whom believe all of the other characters are one-dimensional caricatures of those antagonistic toward religion. I don’t believe they are any more so than those in most movies. The focus is on those who suffer a loss of faith, not the health of the entire parish. Only one character holds fast despite tragedy. As someone who has no faith that life has greater meaning than what the individual attaches to it, I think that’s enough balance for any story. The work is not perfect, but it is a refreshing look at serious themes, life's big questions. Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, it runs only an hour-and-forty minutes. There is an excellent turn by M. Emmet Walsh, one of the all-time great character actors, as a crusty, aging American writer who fears the possible descent into incapacity. 30,000+ have rated
Calvary at IMDb, forging to a consensus of 7.4 of ten. That seems about right.
Recently, the
NY Times has run articles on the foibles of Senator Marco Rubio, who is in the crowded Republican field running for president. Among his faults are traffic tickets. He has had four moving violations in the past 20 years. Of course, right wing supporters would not let this go unanswered. Here's a response several of my Facebook friends have posted:
Two weeks ago I sold a copy of
Close to the Edge to a lovely woman in the company of her husband and two elementary school age children. I mentioned that I was on Facebook and Twitter. Since that novel is so unlike books most people read, I don't expect positive feedback, although I've had plenty. A few days ago she left me a touching note. My thanks, Elizabeth, and also to the kind folks who bought and donated books today on Bay Parkway, and to whomever purchased
Rising Star on Kindle.
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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