After almost an entire lifetime spent in religious instruction, Gabriel returns to his small Irish town as the new preacher. But the town is full of drinking and gambling, and Gabriel's younger brother Jim and sister-in-law Caroline are no exceptions. Soon Gabriel learns that Caroline does not attend church, runs the local pub .. Read more
| Starring | Eva Birthistle, Gerard McSorley, Charlene McKenna, Daniel Mays |
|---|---|
| Director | Brian Kirk |
| Run time | 88 mins |
| Genres | Thriller |
loading...
This Irish period drama finally gets a release just weeks before coming out on DVD an admission, perhaps, of its... read more on Time Out
Superbly acted by all concerned and exquisitely crafted in every department...it exercises a powerful grip
More Catholic bashing, isn't religion terrible, backwards Irish Catholics etc. Smarmy metropolitan atheists will lap this up. I've never met anyone like this, cliched 1 dimensional stereotypes.
Ballykissangel from hell, don't bother.
Opinion is clearly divided with regards to this film, and I thought that it was excellent. It was well- paced and moving with some superb performances from a strong cast. Far from mere 'Catholic-bashing', I found this a highly relevant piece on the fallibility of all organised religion in the interpretation of any holy text (I know how boring that sounds, but it is a genuinely gripping story). Without wanting to give away the ending, the Reverend manages to justify his actions to himself by quoting bible verse- a chillingly familiar scenario in modern times, whether in the form of right-wing Christian evangelists or militant Islamic fundamentalists.
I don't really take the time to review many films here, but the score really belies the film's quality. Also, I felt compelled to do so after reading the one-star review containing the phrase:
'I rented this film hoping to see Matthew MacFadyen looking dishy'
No. Just no.