John Michael McDonagh is back with the second part of part of his “Glorified Suicide Trilogy”.
This second installment features Brendan Gleeson as Father James, a virtuous priest who receives a death sentence from a child abuse victim during a confessional. He explains that he plans to murder an innocent priest , referring to Father James, the next Sunday in order to gain attention to his crime.
And so, the film follows the father as he interacts with the people of the small town in West Ireland as the days count down to his death sentence. The visual landscapes and cinematography flawlessly complement the dark drama in the film with waves crashing down onto the cliffs and the sound of the them falling onto the shore, almost reminiscent of old mystery novels. Although the priest’s intentions are honest and legitimate, the community’s attitude towards him are brash and lewd due to each of their internal conflicts. Some of these include an apathetic doctor (Aiden Gillen), a married couple dealing with infidelity, and Michael Fitzgerald (Dylan Moran), a shameless banker. The town is bereaved by the community’s despondent and melancholic attitudes; cynicism has made them give up on faith and morale. Even Father James’ upright behaviour also begins to fall apart…
This film does a superb job in delving into the problems that society faces and the struggles in all of our lives. The characters reflect a genuine portrayal of detachment that we can all understand and relate to, when hope is lost. This movie is more of a work of art than it is of focusing on a captivating storyline. The last scenes capture the importance of the need to stay committed and not lose hope by examining the consequences of cynicism.
“Cavalry” is coming to theaters August 1.
