''Clergy'' ( pl, Kler) is a

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Polish

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

co-written and directed by

Wojciech Smarzowski Wojciech Smarzowski (born 18 January 1963 in Korczyna near Krosno) is a Polish screenwriter and director. He studied filmmaking at the Jagiellonian University and the National Film School in Łódź (1990). His 2004 film, '' The Wedding'' (not t ...

. The film stars

Arkadiusz Jakubik Arkadiusz Jakubik (; born 14 January 1969 in Strzelce Opolskie) is a Polish actor, scriptwriter, voice actor and musician. Known mainly for portrayal of a disabled cop Rysio in '' 13 posterunek'' sitcom and for wide collaboration with Wojciech Sm ...

, Robert Wieckiewicz and

Jacek Braciak Jacek Braciak (born 12 May 1968) is a Polish film and theater actor. He has appeared in more than 60 films since 1991. He received the Polish Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Edi'' and ''Rose''. Selected filmography * '' Edi'' (200 ...

as three

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

united by an event that almost took their lives.

Plot

Three priests meet on the same date of a past event that could have taken their lives.

Cast

as Priest Andrzej Kukula * Robert Wieckiewicz as Priest Tadeusz Trybus *

as Priest Leszek Lisowski *

Joanna Kulig Joanna Kulig (; born 24 June 1982) is a Polish actress and singer, best known for her role in the 2018 historical drama film ''Cold War'', which earned her the European Film Award for Best Actress. Her other notable credits include the films '' ...

as Hanka Tomala *

Janusz Gajos Janusz Gajos (; born 23 September 1939) is a Polish film, television and theatre actor as well as pedagogue and photographer. Professor of Theatre Arts and an Honorary Doctor of the National Film School in Łódź, he is considered one of the gr ...

as Archbishop Mordowicz * Adrian Zaremba as Vicar Jan * Magdalena Celówna-Janikowska as Natalia * Antoni Barłowski as Czekaj * Jacek Beler as Priest Petarda * Stanisław Brejdygant as Priest Teodor *

Bartosz Bielenia Bartosz Bielenia (born 15 May 1992) is a Polish film and stage actor. Education In 2016, Bielenia graduated from AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. Career He made his debut in 1999 at the Aleksander Wegierko Dramatic Theat ...

as Toady

Release

Box office

Clergy was

wide release In the American motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across the country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical r ...

d in Poland on September 28, 2018 and grossed $29,913,342, breaking several

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fre ...

records. About 935,000 viewers watched the film in its opening weekend, the best opening for a Polish film in Poland in 30 years.

Reception

Mike McCahill from

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

gave the film three out of five stars, stating: "Controversial in its native Poland, this ambitious drama skilfully shows its clerical cast are as much victims as villains". Richard Lewis writing for the "Wroclaw Uncut" gave Clergy a good

review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indi ...

saying: "It’s an interesting and topical film made by the leading faces of Polish cinema and will only increase the growing stature of Polish film around the world. It holds no punches and has got people talking about some difficult issues. It is amusing and shocking in equal measure. It is certainly a zeitgeist moment and I recommend you see it". However, Lewis also criticized some aspects of the movie: "The characters are a bit thin and their deeper psychological motivations are largely unexplored. Some of the plot twists and turns become somewhat difficult to follow towards the end and I think perhaps half-an-hour could have been shaved off the running time".

Accolades

Clergy received several awards and nominations.

Controversy

In Poland, ''Clergy'', which explores polemic themes such as

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

, and

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

in the

Catholic Church in Poland , native_name_lang = , image = Basílica_de_Nuestra_Señora_de_Licheń,_Stary_Licheń,_Polonia,_2016-12-21,_DD_36-38_HDR.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = , caption = Basilica of Our Lady ...

, was “highly controversial” upon its release and it was heavily criticized by several right-wing and nationalist groups in the

Polish society The demographics of Poland constitute all demographic features of the population of Poland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, the health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the po ...

, including the

Polish government The Government of Poland takes the form of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. However, its form of government has also been id ...

that is currently led by the conservative and pro-clerical party,

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct s ...

Sequel

A sequel is planned, with a budget of 20 million euros, and an Italian co-production with a possible plot about the Vatican.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Polish drama films 2010s Polish-language films Czech-language films 2010s Italian-language films 2018 drama films Films critical of the Catholic Church