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Priest

Play trailer Poster for Priest R Released Mar 24, 1995 1h 37m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
The Rev. Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is homosexual and a Roman Catholic priest who takes his vows and his love of God seriously. When a young girl confesses to him that her father has been sexually abusing her, Pilkington is overcome with protective rage and feels that he must break the secrecy rules binding the confessional in order to stop the abuse. As the case haunts him, Pilkington is forced to confront the transgression of his lack of celibacy through sex with other men.
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Critics Consensus

A deft directorial debut from Antonia Bird, Priest handles its sensitive subject with care -- despite certain sanctimonious sentiments.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader It’s as if we were being administered a series of rude slaps. Rated: 2/4 Jun 7, 2022 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Priest shouldn't be missed -- much of it is strong and moving. My reservation is not that it bites off more than it can chew (these days, big teeth are welcome) but that there's something mechanical about its mastication. Feb 16, 2018 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: A- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life A slow-moving but captivating look into the soul of a young, sensitive Catholic priest. May 13, 2022 Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street All this is such a pity, because Priest could have been such a good and important film. Apr 21, 2022 Full Review 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. Rated: B Feb 1, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Pride in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can like whoever I please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/11/25 Full Review Louise C 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. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/09/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review phil v 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member 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! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Antonia Bird

Director

Linus Roache

Father Greg Pilkington

Tom Wilkinson

Father Matthew Thomas

Cathy Tyson

Maria Kerrigan

James Ellis

Father Ellerton

Robert Carlyle

Graham

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Priest

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Movie Info

Synopsis The Rev. Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is homosexual and a Roman Catholic priest who takes his vows and his love of God seriously. When a young girl confesses to him that her father has been sexually abusing her, Pilkington is overcome with protective rage and feels that he must break the secrecy rules binding the confessional in order to stop the abuse. As the case haunts him, Pilkington is forced to confront the transgression of his lack of celibacy through sex with other men.
Director
Antonia Bird
Producer
George Faber, Josephine Ward
Screenwriter
Jimmy McGovern
Distributor
Miramax Home Entertainment [us], Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 24, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.8M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR
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