Forgiveness In Calvary

Words: 592
Pages: 3

The film, “Calvary” directed by John Michael McDonagh is about an innocent man, considerably known as a “good priest.” Who is trying to change his cynical community by persuading them to mentally/emotionally grow, forgive those who have hurt them, and allow God to guide them. After he receives a serious death threat during confessions from one of his fellow peer Character growth is very difficult to spot in this film. In the sense that the priest is surrounded by people that mocks his words and have no remorse for their sins. Yet he still tries to get through them and tries to guide them to the right path. One can say a few people of the community had some type of growth after the death of the priest. The whole time Father James was alive he tried to help them, but they would not accept it, and would sarcastically joke about his morals/values. The death of Father James marked the beginning of the growing process for a few of the subordinating characters. For instance, Owen Sharpe’s character Leo, is a male prostitute for some of the men in town, and Father James played by Brendan Gleeson went up to him and simply asked Leo if he was okay. Now at this given moment Leo became …show more content…
Father James is known for it, on the contrary his daughter Fiona ( Kelly Reilly) seems like she is not, based on her quick remark to the wealthy business man Mr. Fitzgerald. In one scene, Fiona and her father are having a serious conversation about how the virtue of forgiveness has been underrated and it should not be. At the time of that scene the audience did not know the powerful impact it would have, until the end. When Fiona visits her father’s killer, Jack, with no type of communication she manages to forgives him for his horrible crime by smiling at him. Based on Fiona’s actions this last pastoral observation from Father James allowed Fiona to let her father’s legacy live on through