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Nice effects though.

Admirable film.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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 Pilkington is a young Roman Catholic priest who is assigned to a tough working-class parish in inner-city Liverpool, where he acts as assistant to the existing parish priest Father Matthew Thomas. The two men are very different. Father Pilkington is a theological and political conservative; his first sermon is effectively a paraphrase of Margaret Thatcher's famous "no such thing as society" speech. The considerably older Father Thomas is politically a left-wing radical and a theological liberal; Father Pilkington is shocked to discover that he is engaged in a long-standing sexual relationship with his housekeeper Maria.The younger man, however, also has his own struggles with his sexuality, as he is secretly a homosexual. He meets another man, Graham, at a local gay nightclub and the two begin a physical relationship. Father Pilkington's faith is further tested when a teenage schoolgirl confides to him in the confessional that she is being sexually abused by her father. Because of the traditional Catholic doctrine of the "seal of the confessional", he is unable to notify the authorities, even though he is sorely tempted to do so."Priest" was one of the most controversial British films of the 1990s because of the way in which it dealt with the issues of homosexuality, incest, child abuse and religious celibacy. As might be expected, it was particularly controversial in Catholic circles, and there have been numerous allegations, both on this board and elsewhere, that it is "anti-Catholic". Critic Roger Ebert, although he is no longer a practising Catholic, was particularly scathing, saying that "For this movie to be described as a moral statement about anything other than the filmmaker's prejudices is beyond belief." This is not a view with which I would agree. "Priest" is a dramatic exploration of various moral issues raised by Catholic theology, not an anti-Catholic diatribe. It is clearly not anti-Catholic in the sense of "Protestantism good, Catholicism bad". Nor in the sense of "Atheism good, Religion bad, Catholicism particularly so". Both the protagonists Father Pilkington and Father Thomas are men who, despite their disagreements with the Church authorities, find (in different ways) that Christian teachings give meaning to their lives as a source of values. Both (although they are tempted to leave the priesthood) remain loyal to the Church as an institution, believing that it is through the Church that they can best serve God. That doesn't seem to me to be either anti-Christian or anti-Catholic.At times it appears as though the scriptwriter Jimmy McGovern is arguing against traditionalist religion and in favour of a more inclusive Catholicism which accepts married priests, takes a more liberal line on homosexuality and focuses more on social issues than questions of sexual morality. Yet even this would be an oversimplification of the film's position. When Father Pilkington is finally exposed as gay, he is the target of severe criticism from his bishop, from several members of his congregation and from an elderly priest who tells him in Latin that he is a pustule on the body of Christ. (Greg's response is to tell him, also in Latin, "Go **** yourself, you dirty old man"). Yet his severest critic is himself. He sees his homosexual nature as something sinful, as a temptation that his is too weak to resist.Both Father Pilkington and Father Thomas can, in different ways, be seen as hypocritical. Yet Greg at least sees his hypocrisy for what it is. He realises that his priesthood gives him a position of spiritual authority within the Catholic Church and widespread respect outside it. He is therefore bound in all honesty to try to fulfil the responsibilities which go with that position, including the responsibility to abide by his vow of celibacy. Father Thomas, by contrast, is not self-critical enough to realise how hypocritical he is being. One of his favourite quotes from the Bible is "Judge not, lest ye be judged". He interprets this, however, as a sort of bargain with God, hoping that if he takes a laissez-faire attitude to other people's sex-lives then God will turn a blind eye to his own blatant violation of his vow of celibacy. Father Thomas's principle of non-judgementalism does not, it should be noted, extend beyond the field of sexual ethics. In political matters he can be very judgemental indeed; in one sermon he accuses those who do not share his socialist world-view of "spitting in the face of God".This was Antonia Bird's first feature film, and I was very impressed by it. She manages the difficult task of making complex religious issues seem both interesting and relevant in the cinema, but "Priest" is much more than a filmed theological debate. It is also a powerful psychological drama, with excellent performances from the two leading actors, Linus Roache and Tom Wilkinson, and an important contribution to the distinguished British tradition of social-realist film-making. Unlike some, I did not see it as a prejudiced attack on the Church. Rather, it is an exploration of a number of important issues which the Church needs to confront. That need is perhaps even more urgent in 2010 than it was in 1994. 8/10

Gay priest, Practicing his sexuality, Torn between desire and duty to God. Hetero priest, Assuaging his loneliness With lovely, dark woman, Giving no thought to "duty". Greg and Matthew, Matthew and Greg. Slowly coming to know each other, Slowly coming to respect each other. Matthew, hiding his own dark secret, Reaches out in compassion To Greg, whose "sin" Is thrust into the public's eye. Greg, consumed by his fall from grace, Still feels compassion for Lisa. Together they comfort each other. Where is God in all this? S/he is there, all right. In Greg's knowing God wants him to be a priest, In Greg's agonizing prayer for help for Lisa, Who is being molested by her father, In Greg's longing for sexual love, In Greg's turning from that longing, In Matthew's raw, burning compassion -- For the poor, the downtrodden, the different, Greg. In Jesus' forgiveness manifested in Lisa. Oh, yes, God is there, all right.

Priest was an interesting movie. When I read about it in Down and Dirty Pictures I expected it to be a tasteless assault upon the Christian religion, but to my surprise it wasn't, and not only was it not tasteless it turned out to be a pretty good film. I felt like it treated its subject matter fairly delicately given that it was an independent film and it was a Miramax production. I thought that this was an excellent movie about a priest who is doubting his own profession and the fact that God was even real. Honestly I thought that his relationship with the girl who was being molested by her father was more interesting than the fact that he was gay. At first I even thought that him being gay was overkill and the movie would have been better if it were just about his relationship to the girl, but by the time the ending rolled around I realized that it was necessary for him to be gay for this movie to work. If it were not for that touching scene in which she is the only person to receive the sacraments from him I would say that his being gay was totally inconsequential to the movie. But those very few moments absolutely make this movie. But now that I have discussed the "gay" factor I would like to concentrate on some of the movie's other strong points. This film was truly hilarious. The gay priest's relationship with his fellow straight priest was another high point in the film. Their conversations about, "What does God care about what a man does with his dick?" Were particularly funny and the scene in which the older man they are staying with chaperones them is just hysterical. There are two other scenes that stick out in my mind about this movie. The first being when the molesting father is in the confessional and you only get to see his face, that man was simply terrifying. He seemed to be so evil in that one scene, he really nailed the part. The second scene that I thought was particularly powerful was when the gay priest was praying and telling Jesus that he had it so easy because He knew everything and basically yelling at God for being God—if that makes any sense—God was answering his prayer by exposing the girl's father as a molester. Overall Priest is a superb movie and it is rather unfortunate that some people will avoid this film simply because of its premise.