Priest (1995)

As a former Christian, I must admit that I was hesitant about watching this film after reading the synopsis. I already dealt with the struggles of being gay and religious in the past, and I didn't think I'd find the topic of being a gay priest in the Catholic Church too interesting. I was definitely mistaken.This movie is a hidden gem from the mid 90s, taking place in Liverpool, England. Linus Roache did a wonderful job as Father Greg. He portrayed the character as flawed yet likable. His lover Graham (Robert Carlyle) was also equally great, and their kiss on the beach was one of the most passionate that I've seen in a film. Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson) was also a wonderful character, showing that despite his religious role, he was rather open-minded, defending Father Greg multiple times against bishops of the Church and even homophobic members of the local parish.One of the biggest subplots was with the girl Lisa, who confessed to Father Greg that she was being molested by her father. Father Greg wanted to tell her mother, but he knew he couldn't break the Seal of the Confessional, an important sacrament in the Catholic Church. This was another turning point for his character, furthering his doubt about whether he was meant to be a priest. The storyline was powerful, and I'd say it was just as important a plot point as being gay in the Catholic Church."Priest" is one of the best movies I've seen about being gay and religious, and it showcased each identity with compassion. However, the movie was pretty critical against the Catholic Church, illustrating that their ideas are outdated such as Father Greg not being able to reveal Lisa's secret and help her. I highly recommend this film if you're gay or even straight and wonder why gay people should be accepted in spite of so-called 'traditional' teachings of various religions.

I remember watching this film in Secondary School for R.E. (Religious Education), because it portrayed some important issues, so when I had the opportunity to see it again I had to, from director Antonia Bird (Ravenous). Basically in Liverpool, Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache, son of William aka Ken Barlow from Coronation Street) has recently come to St. Mary's parish, and he is shocked to see Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) having a sexual relationship with housekeeper Maria Kerrigan (Cathy Tyson). Despite knowing this disregard for the rule of celibacy, he continues working at the church like a professional priest, despite hiding a secret himself, that he is homosexual, which in these days can get you arrested. Greg has allowed people to open up in the confessional, and he is shocked to hear young student Lisa Unsworth (Christine Tremarco) confess that her father (Robert Pugh) is abusing her, and sticking to the rules of sanctity he knows it would be a sin to tell anyone. While at the same time having a nice relationship with Graham (Robert Carlyle), Greg tries to warn Lisa's mother (Lesley Sharp) to keep an eye on her daughter, but she foolishly believes the husband protects them, and he confronts the priest to mind his own business. A big blow comes when he both faces Mrs. Unsworth confronting him about the fact he knew about the incestuous molestation and she caught her husband, and the priest is arrested for engaging in sexual activity with another man in a parked car, to which he pleads guilty and is let go. The next day everyone knows about his homosexuality, most feel disgusted that he is what he is, and more so that he is committing sin and going against his beliefs. Father Matthew demands he leave the chapel, but he sees his side of the story and forgives him and says he should go back to work, for a while he resists, and in the end, after returning Greg gets a final hug from Lisa, and they sob together in front the communion queue. Also starring James Ellis as Father Ellerton. Roache gives a marvellous performance as the religious man struggling with the pressures of his beliefs, Wilkinson gets his moments as his fellow priest friend, and Carlyle is also effective as the gay lover, this is a thought provoking story filled with compassion, harrowing material and a real sense of how beliefs overpower people, a great British drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. Very good!

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.

For all those who think this film is just an anti-Church tirade - you have obviously missed something here ... it is called "humanity". The main problem of the Catholic Church today is that it is too obsessed with maintaining power and inflicting dogma - and completely forgetting the human element in its midst. The AIDS crisis would be a perfect analogy for this: which is more important, saving people's lives or NOT using a condom? Not only does the Catholic Church preach against using condoms EVEN between husband and wife if one is HIV positive - it actually disseminates lies all throughout Africa by pretending that condoms are not viable in stopping infection.That said, this film NEVER forgets the human element, even when - SPOILER - the father of the girl is explaining that it is NORMAL for a father to be sexually attracted to his daughter. His arguments, as well as many others in this film, continually point out the dilemma of allowing dogma to run our lives rather than compassion and understanding. The theory is one thing; putting it into practice is another. The most obvious problem is the one of a relatively conservative Catholic priest who, despite all his prayers and faith, still cannot stop himself from acting on his homosexual urges.Some people in other posts here just say "How absurd - he took a vow - too bad for him blah blah blah". Yes, well, that's the RULES - but what about life? The whole point of the Catholic idea of Communion is based on the idea that ALL men are sinners - and they all must be absolved of their guilt. This should also include the priests for they were men BEFORE they were priests, and sometimes hormones are stronger than any man-made law.The real problem for any person, and especially a priest, is trying to live according to Church doctrines. In one way or another - they will ALL at some point have to be hypocritical in what they say or do, because the Church demands total obedience and perfection, whereas human life is messy and complicated. I know a gay priest who HAS remained more or less celibate since his ordination... yet he still masturbates and then finds himself in the ironic position of having to tell his teenage flock that they SHOULDN'T masturbate. Well, even if he is not capable of following the teachings of the Church himself - he still feels it is his obligation to tell the kids that they must strive not to masturbate themselves. Once he has passed on the Church's teachings, he has fulfilled his job - and it is up to each individual to decide whether or not he (she) will or CAN follow the rules precisely.Which is why this film is so good. It deals with all the complications of dogma, but never forgets the human element and the complications coming out of such dogma. The actors are excellent , the script is honest and vibrant, and there is a building tension throughout the film that is beautifully handled by the director. What more can one ask for?