Priest (1994)
-
65% of critics liked it
(23 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(4,794 ratings)
A priest is torn between church dogma and his personal beliefs in this British drama. Father Greg (Linus Roache) is a Catholic priest who tends to a parish in Liverpool. Like his superior, Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson), Father Greg is not dealing well with his vow of celibacy. While Matthew has… More A priest is torn between church dogma and his personal beliefs in this British drama. Father Greg (Linus Roache) is a Catholic priest who tends to a parish in Liverpool. Like his superior, Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson), Father Greg is not dealing well with his vow of celibacy. While Matthew has been discreetly having an affair with his housekeeper, Greg is homosexual, and he occasionally slips out to gay clubs for anonymous encounters with strangers. One night, Father Greg meets a man named Graham (Robert Carlyle) at the bar; when he bumps into him on the street a few days later, he realizes that he's falling in love with him. As Father Greg struggles with his sexual and spiritual identity, he hears a confession from 14-year-old Lisa Unsworth (Christine Tremarco), who tells him that her father has been molesting her. Mr. Unsworth (Robert Pugh) confirms his daughter's allegation during confession, and he tells the priest that he will not stop his incestuous behavior. Should Father Greg violate the seal of the confessional to save Lisa from further abuse? Priest, which opened in America on Good Friday, generated considerable controversy, both with Catholic organizations (who denounced the picture) and the MPAA (the film had to be re-edited to gain an R rating for U.S. release). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Antonia Bird
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- Mar 24, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Miramax Films
Critic Reviews
-
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
In her timely and audacious feature debut, Antonia Bird addresses such taboo issues as homosexuality and incest within the Catholic church.
-
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
A provocative film, with persuasive work by Roache.
-
Dan Lybarger, Lawrence Journal-World
This drama about Church hypocracy could stand to be far less preachy.
-
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
A star-making performance by Linus Roache.
-
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The film's heart and message was in the right place.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Linus Roache
as Father Greg
-
Tom Wilkinson
as Father Matthew
-
Cathy Tyson
as Maria Kerrigan
-
James Ellis
as Father Ellerton
-
Robert Carlyle
as Graham
-
John Bennett
as Father Redstone
-
Rio Fanning
as Bishop
-
Jimmy Coleman
as Funeral Director
-
Lesley Sharp
as Mrs. Unsworth
-
Robert Pugh
as Mr. Unsworth
-
Christine Tremarco
as Lisa Unsworth
-
Fred Pearson
as Patrick
-
Mandy Walsh
as Guest at Wake
-
Ray Williams
as Boy with Stutter
-
Gilly Coman
as Ellie Molloy
-
Kevin Jones
as Boy at Beach
-
Matyelok Gibbs
as Housekeeper
-
Billy Dean
as Altar Boy
- Paul Barber
