I have watched this movie three times, and was still in tears at the beautiful way it ended. Although other countries did not appreciate this storyline, I thought it realistic, particularly at the time it was written. Linus Roache was fabulous in his portrayal of conflicted Father Greg Pilkington. It merits 9/10 I viewed this on Amazon Prime Video in NZ.

Wish there was more justice for the girl abused by her father, but I liked this film overall. Some of the parts towards the end were cheesy, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. Not great, and other films tackled similar topics in a better fashion, but definitely not a disappointing watch.

The film I went to see the most amount of times when it was in cinemas. Beautiful writing/filmmaking that breaks my heart every time.

A dark drama about the crisis of faith of a priest who is a homosexual. There are a few problems with the film: There was not a single likeable character, especially Father Thomas who is a communist hypocrite; it seemed more like an attack on Catholic church more than anything and the story was really slow. However, the acting was pretty impressive and the direction was also pretty good to make it worthwatching, even if frustrating.

I loved it. Raw, thought-provoking and even painful at times, it shook me and made me cry. Full of powerful scenes, and full of truths about the Church, it was a brave and really inspirational movie. Linus Roache gave his soul in this movie, portrayed the young faithful priest amazingly and managed to devastate me with his last minute performance. His eyes hid every possible emotion. I am so glad I watched this!

this movie is terrific

Antonia Bird's Priest revolves around Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache), who is just assigned to St. Mary's Church in Liverpool. Upon being hired, he is disgusted to discover that Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson), a very liberal member of the archdiocese, is having sexual relations with his housekeeper, despite his vow of celibacy. Not long after joining the church, he also meets Lisa (Christine Tremarco), a young girl who confides in Father Greg about her father's persistent abuse that goes from being verbal to sexual on a regular basis. Father Greg sees this rampant sin all over his church, disgracing his new home like graffiti on the cold concrete of an urban underpass. This especially disturbs him because, despite having fairly conservative values and beliefs when it comes to the teachings and the practices of leaders in the church, Father Greg is a closet homosexual. He begins having recurring sexual encounters with Graham (Robert Carlyle) upon meeting him at a club one night. His ultimate test as a newly appointed member of a church comes in numerous forms - his battle with his closet orientation, his vow of silence and secrecy when he knows several dangerous and unethical things are taking place, and his contentment with robbing himself of his true identity for the sake of his job. Priest examines the multiple hypocrisies of the church in a manner that isn't so much incriminating as it is an act of introspective examination. Bird and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern illustrate the church's disapproval on same-sex marriage and relations, adamantly bashing everything that has to do with either, yet actively turns a blind eye to the sins committed within the four walls of the church. Why is it so difficult and daunting to take a metaphorical magnifying glass to examine the intricate problems of those that are ostensibly chosen to lead a nation of lost souls to the path of righteousness? Without sermonizing themes and morals at us, Bird and McGovern leave the area pleasantly gray, largely so the audience came come to the consensus of justifying the church's, and for that matter, the public's, willingness to really turn the tables on the alleged holiness of those leading us in Sunday mass. My assumption comes from the idea of having faith in those who are guiding you. The public would love to believe the person leading them in their service are the most trustworthy person around, but it's so easy to condemn and go along with a pastor, father, or preacher's ideology without turning the tables on him or examining him and his actions. What results is dangerous groupthink, and why societal atrocities like rape, incestuous sex, and inequality can become justified and accepted, or even worse, unnoticed. The bulk of Priest, however, handles Greg's crisis of faith and lack of hope in the institution he has trusted since he was a kid. Upon his first encounter with Graham at a nightclub, when he sees things are taking a turn for the romantic, we can tell that everything he has been told or has taught himself, is coming into question. Couple that with the plethora of sins he sees his church so casually committing and he is sick with uncertainty and frustration over everything he is handling and dealing with at once. Linus Roache gives a solid performance as Greg, though he can be shaky in more dramatic circumstances. Consider the scene where Father Greg is kneeling before Christ on the cross, cursing his name for allowing what is happening to poor Lisa. During this confrontation between Greg and Christ, Bird juxtaposes a scene of Lisa's father violently assaulting her before being interrupted by the mother, who witnesses his actions. It's a frightening scene, and although Roache doesn't handle the crying and the more dramatic elements with immense conviction, it's adequate enough, especially when edited together ostensibly to create an "act of God" circumstance in response to Father Greg's persistent pleading. Priest is more an impressionistic soap-opera regarding the church than it is a drama. Its production values are notably low, its color scheme never reaches past a bleak pastel, and its acting is unanimously adequate. But Bird and McGovern wisely overcome all of the above in order to make their audience think and contemplate about their own judgments and, in turn, put them in an uncomfortable position for ninety-six minutes. As easy as it is to dismiss the cheap and stiff aesthetic of Priest, it's as hard to admit that it might have a point or at least be onto something, and that's the first step in admitting there is a serious problem embedded somewhere. Starring: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, and Christine Tremarco. Directed by: Antonia Bird.

A very powerful drama. This movie was very moving for me personally and moved me on the path to accept myself coming from a quite conservative religious background, having to confront many of the issues as Father Greg made his character and his problems very relatable for me personally. Even if you can not relate to it in the same way that I did it will certainly have an impact. I would certainly advise everyone to watch it

Roache and Carlyle are fantastic, and quite hot, in this movie that deals with heavy issues.

A well-meaning film that touches on too many issues to be effective. Sadly, this results in a degeneration into preachiness to make its points. A good performance by Roache and a somewhat better one by Wilkinson. Barely adequate production values.

Priest (Antonia Bird, 1994) [originally posted 16Oct2000] What a flap this movie caused when it came out. The Catholic church hit the roof. And with good reason, too. The Church doesn't seem to get too nasty over bad films. Despite the fact that Antonia Bird has fallen permanently out of favor with this reviewer thanks to two hours of utterly wasted celluloid called Ravenous, she pulled off a wondrous little film here. Linus Roache stars as the title character, a conservative priest sent to a poor parish after the man he's replacing goes a little batty (and rams the bishop's door with the large cross over the church's altar, one of the most blissfully funny opening scenes I've ever encountered in a film). Roache's character, Greg Pilkington, is immediately at odds with the liberal priest who will be working alongside him, Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson, one of many actors who wander in and out of this flick who appeared together again in The Full Monty). Fr. Thomas is a drinker, a lech, tends to look the other way about much in his parish, that sort of thing. Bird sets things up quite nicely as 'good priest comes in and reforms parish screwed up by bad priest.' Until, of course, Roache is confronted with two major disasters in a row-the revelation in confessional of a father's molestation of his daughter, and his own homosexuality. Pilkington suddenly finds himself in the midst of an on-again-off-again love-hate affair with Graham (Robert Carlyle) while simultaneously trying to figure out whether to break the seal of the confessional and call the police about the father who's molesting his kid. It's complicated stuff, And Fr. Pilkington reacts in the ways that most humans would, and the great human tragedy turns another page. All in all what I ended up comparing this to in my head time and again was Colors, Dennis Hopper's brilliant film about an idealistic cop (Sean Penn) who eventually comes to understand his partner (Robert Duvall)'s attitude towards life. Bird treats her characters and situations with the same, and similarly unexpected, subtlety that Hopper achieves. They're also both capped off with two of the finest ending scenes in the world of tragic cinema. I strongly suggest watching both, but I wouldn't recommend doing so on the same night. **** 1/2

Tame by 2013, standards. Unlike the pounding it got from Catholics and well meaning Christians back in 1994 on release, it would not find so many not willing to take the message on board in 2013.

Unsettlingly moving!

Have seen it 15 years ago. Very serious with a sence of humour, very good actors. Where can I get it?

very moving and touching film. I have watched it over and over and can't get enough of it.

Hot. Gay. Priest. Where can I find me one???

A very controversial film that raises one too many provocative questions about Catholic faith, celibacy, compassion and forgiveness. It is unsettling to watch and more unsettling to know that, priest or not, we can never be perfectly moral and "let he without sin cast the first stone".

Moving film swirling around the issues of religion and sexuality.

A very controversial film that raises one too many provocative questions about Catholic faith, celibacy, compassion and forgiveness. It is unsettling to watch and more unsettling to know that, priest or not, we can never be perfectly moral and "let he without sin cast the first stone".

This movie is intense. There is a controversial theme or two, but mostly it's just a good movie with a good message (or so it seems). The acting was great, and the story was interesting.