Priest (1995)

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The acting in this movie is really good.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Having attended a Catholic parochial school and then a Catholic high school, one is exposed to many of the teachings of the Church and the duties required of priests in their role of representing Christ on Earth. There's the priestly vow of celibacy and the sanctity of the confessional. If one believes in the doctrines of the Church, the conflicts presented in this movie are bound to be troublesome for the viewer of faith. You have a priest faced with the dilemma of keeping quiet about a parishoner's sexual abuse of his own daughter which came to light in confession. And you have that same priest conducting a homosexual affair as a result of a gay bar hook up. On a side note, you have the young priest's parish pastor conducting a live-in relationship with his housekeeper, thereby sidestepping the role of celibacy in his position as well.It's easy enough to believe that the film makers had an agenda here, and I don't know if that was the case or not. For me it's pretty simple, if a priest who made of vow a celibacy engages in sex with either a woman or a homosexual, then they shouldn't be a priest. Father Matthew's (Tom Wilkinson) justifications to Father Greg (Linus Roache) and himself don't fly because they made a decision in their lives to uphold the vows of the priesthood. On the question of keeping a vow of silence regarding the confessional, I would prescribe to the idea that doing what's right is more important than following a hard and fast rule if that rule were to cause serious physical or emotional harm to an individual. Personally, my own relationship with the Church was strained irrevocably when pedophile priests weren't dealt with the way they should have been, that is, defrocked and expelled to prevent abuse to further individuals. Within the context of the film, I thought the screenwriter and actors did a fairly commendable job in their difficult roles. The subject matter wasn't presented in a sensational way and there appeared to be some thought put into the arguments on both sides with the characters of Father Matthew and Father Greg. For another thoughtful treatment of the priestly requirement on the sanctity of the confessional, one might look up Alfred Hitchcock's 1953 film "I Confess". It deals with a priest who faces a murder charge unless he divulges the identity of a man who confessed to the killing. It's a story in which the fabled director shifts the viewer's attention in different directions in somewhat of a departure from his usual movie fare.

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.

This film was widely panned by critics everywhere when it came out, and it doesn't take much to see why. The story is a completely one-sided railing against doctrines of the Catholic Church in order to justify homosexual activities. Don't waste your time with it. "I want to, so I'm gonna" is the entire statement of the movie. Don't expect any real arguments or philosophy here. The acting is passable at best, but given that the screenplay/story is terrible, they didn't have much to work with. What's frustrating is that there's no serious dialog where the clergy get to spell out exactly why sins are sins here along with the harmful after-effects of them. The film seeks immoral justification without proper philosophical/mental evaluation.

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!