A young priest faces a crisis of faith when his vows, and the sordid activities of his fellow clerics, come into conflict with his conscience.
Father Greg Pilkington arrives in Liverpool parish where hypocrisy reigns among the other priests and the congregation as a whole. In a misguided attempt to improve matters, Father Pilkington visits his parishioners at their homes, only to have them repeatedly reject him.
But the Father himself is not without sin, for the police catch him in a car, breaking his priestly vow of celibacy with a male lover. His homosexuality makes headlines, and he becomes a target of relentless public scrutiny, cruelty and alienation.
Review 1:
"...Engaging....A profoundly moving climax..." - Recommended
Source: Premiere
p.112 01/01/1996
Review 2:
"...A movie full of rich characterizations..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
Source: USA Today
p.1D 03/31/1995
Review 3:
"...Intense, full-blooded, and at times archly funny....The movie knows the agony, the burn, of sin, and that gives it the authority to question..." -- Rating: A-
Source: Entertainment Weekly
pp.42-4 03/31/1995
Review 4:
"...Antonia Bird has a wonderful eye for faces in close-up....She reveals every fissure of human doubt, each wrinkle of everyday agony..."
Source: Film Comment
p.8-12 05/01/1995
Review 5:
"...PRIEST is sincere and frank....A story that's solidly acted and effectively told..."
Source: New York Times
p.C23 03/24/1995
Review 6:
"...[A] trenchant assault on the smug hypocrisies of our time....[With] performances of raw intensity..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.48 03/01/1995